Trust Him. ( Romans 11 v33)

In Deuteonomy29 v29 we read,'The secret things belong to the Lord our God,but the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever,that we may follow all the words of this law'.There are two things emphasised,or what we do and we don't know'.Someone says that the Hebrew  is more striking it contrasts the 'covered' and the 'uncovered'.As Christians we know a lot of  things,God has revealed many things to us ,there was a time we went on in our darkened ways,until He revealed Himself to us.Think of all the wonderful things we know, but what about the things we don't know?,all the why's in life, and what about the future.? Think upon these words 'the secret things belong to the Lord'1 Corinthians 13 v12 reads  'Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror,but  then we will see things with perfect clarity',and let us remember what our Saviour said to the disciples in Acts 1 v 7'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority'.  In John 13  v 7 Jesus says this to Peter, ' You don't  understand now what I am doing,but someday you will'.I leave Proverbs 3v5  with you,'Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and lean not on your own understanding.

Sin ( Proverbs 14 v9 )

I would like to share somthing from a book I have of Puritan Devotionals,the one I choosed was written by a man  called  Thomas Case,a very godly man,the subject  is sin.'Sin is always sinful, but in our prosperity we are not aware of it. The dust of the world fills our eyes that we cannot see it clearly.God  frequently  uses affiction to teach his children the great evil that is in sin.It shows sin as an evil in itself. It not only brings evil, but is evil. It not only works bitterness,it is bitterness. It has a bitter  root as well as bitter fruit. God  leads the sinner by affliction to take notice not only of what sin does,but what it is. It is a pure, unmixed evil.It has the devil for its author,and death for its end. Not only is it evil in itself, it is evil against God' I will just add the following, we must never take sin lightly,God does'nt ,look to Calvary to that old rugged cost,visualise what you see a blooded battered person hanging on that cross ,Jesus.On that cross Jesus died that we could be forgiven,that we would not suffer the wrath of God,if only we trust him to be our Saviour

Jesus is divine ( Psalm 110 v1)

My doorbell rang so I went to answer  it,and there on my doorstep was a young man,and he was a JW ,he was a pleasant young man,and so started a conversation.I often become get very frustrated in talking to JW's ,for no matter what I say,it all seems pointless,of course that's me talking,God only knows the effectiveness of ones witness, we have just to be faithful,and leave it to God.I told the young man I believe in Jesus Christ, he said he also believed,but I replied not the Jesus of the Bible.What dId I mean by that? I mean that Jesus is truly man and  truly God. Of course the JW's have there own translation ,we should not be surprised at that,their founder Charles Taze Russel,rejected the trinity.But that created a big problem for his followers,all the translations  clearly show that Christ was divine,that includes the whole bible.So what did the JW's do? ,they brought out there own translation,that fitted in with what they believe,it is as simple as that,they have a mutilated translation,and they blindly accept it.In Psalm 110 v1 a Psalm by David we read,'In Matthew 22 v41ff Jesus asked the Pharisees ,'What do you think about the Messiah? whose son is he?,They said the son of David,Jesus replied,How is it then that David ,speaking by the Spirit calls him Lord? quoating Ps110 v1 which reads ,'The Lord said to my Lord; sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet',,then Jesus went on to say,'If then David calls  him ''Lord,'' how can he be his son?.Yes the scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is divine.

Fellowship ( John 15 v 34-35)

Hebrews 10 v25 reads,'Not giving up meeting together,as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching'.These words tell us that there were those who were in the habit of not meeting with other believers.Isolating one's self from believers is detrimental to oneself and to fellow believers. One of the reasons given  for meeting together is that we can encourage one another.People stop meeting with believers for different reasons,someone has hurt them in the church,so they  withdraw nursing that hurt,not forgiving those who hurt them.When Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested and imprisioned by the Nazies,he said what he missed most was the fellowship of fellow believers.As Christians we need each other,we need their prayers,their encouragement,their friendship,and likewise they need ours.

                                                             'Blest be the tie that binds 

                                                             Our hearts in Christian love;

                                                             The fellowship of kindred minds

                                                              Is like to that above.

                                                              We share our mutual woes,

                                                               Our mutual burdens bear

                                                               And often for each other flows

                                                               The sympathising tear'             ( Words John Fawcett)

                                                             

                                                              

                                                                 

Use me. ( Ephesian 2 v10)3

We have  considered the following prayers,'Help me', 'Guide me', not let us consider ,'Use me'.There is hymn writtenby Elsie D.Yale I will leave that with you.

                                      ( 1)      'There's a work for Jesus,ready at your hand ,

                                                  'Tis a task the Master just for you has planned

                                                  Haste to do His bidding,yield Him service true;

                                                  There's a work for Jesus,none but you can do.

                                      (2)       There's a work for Jesus,humble though it be,

                                                   'Tis the very service,He would ask of thee.

                                                    Go where fields  are whitened,and the labourers few;

                                                    Ther's a work for Jesus none but you can do.

                                               

                                              

Guide Me! ( 1 John 5 v 14-15) 2

 Let us consider the next short prayer ,'Lord lead me', a very simple prayer,prayers don't have to be long,God answers short praayers,he answers long prayers also.In Galatians 5 v18 we have these words, 'Led by the Spirit',we need  the Spirit of God in relation to our prayers and how much we need Him to guide and direct us according to the will of  God. A very important verse in Romans 8 v 26 - 27 we are told .'In the same way,the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for,but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And  He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God'. It is the great apostle who writes these words.He prayed for so much, but  there was a time he prayed to be healed of an affliction,and it didn't happen 2 Cor 12.William Hendriksen writes as regards the Holy Spirit interceding  for us,'The Holy Spirit's intrrcession reminds us rather of a mother kneeling at the bedside of her ailing child,and in her prayer presenting that child's needs to the heavenly Father'

Help me. (Psalm 121) 1

Here are three short prayers,'Help me! Guide me!Use me!let us consider these 3 things ,'Help.me'  The Beatles  sang a song  which started of  with the words Help me  ,yes it is a  prayer, Psalm 121is one of  seven  Psalms sung by pilgrims as they ascended up to Jerusalem to the temple. The opening verse reads,'I lift up my eyes to the mountains does my help  come from there?why does he mention the mountains?in Jeremiah 3 v 23 we read ,'Truly ,in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills,and from the mulitude of mountains'.Often the high hills and mountains where the place where false gods where worshipped to feel closer to their deities.And so verse two of Ps121 reads 'No,my strength comes from God ,who made heaven ,and earth, and the mountains'.The world is full of god's who are not god's,billions of people are looking to these god's.  William Plumer writes that .'He is alone is all sufficent.Men and angels,means  and instruments,the united powers of earth,and the wisdom of all creatures are as nothing compared with God. We are never safe till,ceasing from man, whose breath is in his nostrils,we look to God alone'.