Rest ( Psalm 37 v 7) 1

 In Matthew 11 v 28-30 we see one aspect of rest,where our Saviour says ,'Come to me,all you who are weary and burdened,and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light'.Jesus spoke to the Jews of His day,to a people who were ruled by a severe religious group of people.Our Saviour in Matthew 23v4  tells us that,' they crush people with unbearable religious demands,and never lift a finger to ease the burden'.Jesus was  inviting people to come to Him and the leagalistic burden would be lifted from them,and they would find rest for their souls.What ever burdens we are being forced to carry come to Jesus and find rest.

                                                  

                                                              'I came to Jesus as I was,

                                                              Weary and worn and sad,

                                                               I found in Him a resting place,

                                                               And He has made me glad.'  (Words Horatius Bonar)

                              

                                                                                                                          

                                         

                                          

Sometimes He was a man of few words ( Matthew 9 v 32 )

I was visiting a friend in hospital,and as I got into the lift a large bed was pushed into the lift,and on the bed was an old lady,she had a tube coming from her nose.I said to her are you Christian? she said yes,and I said to her ,'the Lord is with you,you will be alright 'I could see that helped her.Our dear Saviour often spoke just a few words to people and they left a mark in peoples lives. To those who hated them he said ,'Father forgive them ,for they do know not what they are doing' (Luke 23 v 34) In those profound words ,we are reminded that there is no limit to his forgiveness,we often put limits on our forgiveness,I know people can really hurt us, yet in the area of forgiveness their is no get out clause,we have to forgive.Then let us consider what Jesus said to the stormy sea,' Quiet! Be still'( Mark 4 v39) and they obeyed His voice,for we read,' The wind died down and it was completely calm'.Jesus is still the same,be it elements,or in our lives ,often we can feel stormed tossed.The hymn writer wrote ,'The winds and waves shall obey my will! Peace! be still! Whither the wrath of the storm-tost sea,or demons,or men,or whatever it be,' Our Saviour  spoke to a man hanging beside Him on the cross,  ''Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise''  (Luke 23cv 43) this man was in the throes of death ,he was a thief,all hope was gone for Him,not so ,today that man is in heaven.It is never to late to call on Jesus,There is a poem that goes ,'Between the stirup and the ground, I mercy sought ,and mercy found.' A word of caution,don't leave it to late.

Just for today ( Proverbs 27 v1)

Mother Teresa said,'Yeterday is gone.Tomorrow has yet to come. We have only today,Let us begin.' It reminds me of  a song with the following words, 'One day at a time,, yesterday has gone,tomorrow may not be our's.It is only this day we can do some good, so let us not miss the opportunity to do some good,don't judge the beggar on the streets, put you hand in your pocket,don't just give them your loose change surpise them with your generoity.Go that extra mile in helping someone,dont live with the regret ,thinking I wish I had helped that person,do it while you have the chance, and do it as unto the Lord,keep it to yourself. Here is what our dear Saviour taught as regards worrying,'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6 v34 )We are to get our priorities right each day,'seek first God's  kingdom and His righteousness,and He will supply what we need'. (Matthew 6 v  33)

                                                           ' I don't know about tomorrow

                                                             I just live from day to day,

                                                             I don't borrow from its sunshine,

                                                             For its skies may turn to gray,

                                                             I don't worry o'er the future,

                                                             For I know what Jesus  said,

                                                             And today I'll walk beside Him,'          

                                                             For He knows what is ahead.'

                                                                ( Words  Ira F. Stanohill)

Have Thine own way Lord. (Matthew 26 v36-39)

We have considered  that God would grant the serenity to accept the things we cannot change and courage to change the things we can change,and then it is summed up in the following words'And the wisdom to know the difference.' My first wife I went and to Bible college,we believed that we were called to be missionaries,but it never happened we prayed for God to open a way, to know avail,but for other students it did happen.But I did become a minister and I got comfirmation of  that,in the morning we set of to come to England God give me scripture which read,'Behold ,I send an Angel before you to keep in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared' (Ex 23 v20) There was a lady called Adelaide Pollard she lived in 19th century ,she wanted to be a missionary in Africia but it didn't happen.which upset her,but one night a lady in a praye meeting prayed ,'It doesn't matter what you bring into our lives Lord,just have your way with us'.From that experience she went on to write a lovely song,here are some of the words from it.     

                                          (1)  'Have Thine own way ,Lord,have Thine own way;

                                                Thou are the potter,I am the clay;

                                                Mold me and make me after Thy will,    

                                                While I am waiting, yielded and still.

                                          (2)  Have Thine own way, Lord,have Thine own way;

                                                 Search me and try me,Master, today;

                                                 Whiter than snow ,Lord,wash me just now,

                                                  As in Thy presence humbly I bow;

                                           (3)  Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way;

                                                  Hold o'er my being absolute sway;

                                                  Fill with Thy Spirit till all can see

                                                  Christ only, always ,living in me'

                                                  

                                                 

A request ( Psalm 46)2

 The last time we considered change but we never touched on the initial words of the prayer,'God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change',  This is not a one of thing he is talking about,no this is something permanent ,it's not going away like Pauls thorn in the flesh,it is not something you want ,but God has said no. There was a philosophy of stoicism in the Greek world that you should grin and bear it,no that's not what he is asking for,rather he is asking God for an an innner calmness.The words of a hymn come to mind they read,'

                                                   'Drop thy still dews of quitetness,

                                                    Till all our strivings cease;

                                                    Take from our souls the strain and stress,

                                                    And let our ordered lives confess

                                                    The beauty of Thy peace'.  ( Words John Green Whirrier)

                                                     

He is Sovereign ( Ephesians 1 v 11)1

There is a hand that guides all our destinies and that hand is God's .All our times are in His hands,the hymn writer wrote,'His decree who formed the earth,fixed my first and second birth;parents,native place,and time,all appointed were by Him'.He is the one who rules over all of the affairs of our lives'.He is Sovereign,and He does something that applies to all of His children,we read about it in Romans 8 v 28,this is what it says,' And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him,who have been called according to his purpose'.All things ,the good things,the hard things,the hard to understand things,the painful things. Many Christians do not grasp this, good things yes, but not bad things,terrible things, take Job he lost all his children,all his possessions,and his health.Christians die of cancer,Christians are not promised a pain free life,but they are promised that all things  will work together for their good.I knew a girl a girl called  Sheila, I remember hearing her speaking at a meeting,she quoated a verse of a poem,'I'll that he blesses is our good ,and unblessed good is ill,and all is well ,that seems most wrong,if it be His sweet will' (Frederick William Faber) Let me just add,she died of cancer,leaving a husband and Children.

                                                        'Blind unbelief is sure to err,

                                                         And scan His works in vain;

                                                         He is His own interpreter,

                                                         And He will make it plain.  (William Cowper)

 

Two contrasts ( Psalm 1)

 Let us consider the first psalm,it is a psalm of two contrasts,the godly man,and the ungodly man,verse one  reads ,'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,nor standeth in the way of sinners ,nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful'. This sets the tone of the psalm. The word blessed means happy the ungodly yes are happy but they have no meaningful sense of spiritual well being. The godly are called to be seperate from the ungodly's sinful ways.The godly take great delight in God's word meditating on it continually v2,how much do we value God's word?. Verse 3 tells that the godly man will be like a fruitful tree bearing fruit,CP  Galatians 5 v 22ff.In verse 4 we are told ,'The ungodly are not so,instead of being secure ,he likens them' unto chaff which the wind drives away'Spurgeon writes,'death shall hurry them with its terrible blast into the fire in which they shall be utterly consumed'. Verses 5-6 tells us that in the day of judgement 'they will not have a leg to stand on'(Derek Kidner)He finishes by telling us that God knows the way of the righteous,yes He is watching over His children.But he ends on a very solemn note, 'The way of the ungodly shall perish',hell is every unsaved persons destination.