Repentance ( 2 Peter 3 v 9)

 The Christian author Os Guinness said,'Confession is a source of strength not weakness,he also mentioned what  Margaret Thatcher said,'the womens not for turning',as being dangerous'.When we. sin it is is vital that we confess our sins and repent of them. 1John 1 v 9 reads ,'If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness'.King David committed a terrible sin, , adultery and murder ,he confessed this is to God  ,and God forgive him.No matter how terrible ones sins are ,God will forgive us.He forgave Paul,the persecuter of His Church he was shown mercy'.Paul never forgot that,he wrote,'Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man,'he was shown mercy (1 Timothy 1 v 13). Manasseh was one of the worse kings who ruled Judah,he sinned greatly ,read 2 Chronicles 33 ,but God forgave him. Remember in God's sight all sin is equally evil and needs to be confessed.Sin unconfessed will drive us away us away form God.Os Guinness pointed out that Jewish scholars spoken of repentance as coming home,the story of the prodigal illustrates that,the hymn writer wrote 

                                                          'I've wandered far away from God;

                                                           Now I'm coming home;

                                                            The paths of sin too long I've trod;

                                                             Lord, I'm coming home'.

Are you listening? ( Revelation 2 v 29)

I was out with fellow Christians ,having a meal,and I jokingly said husbands have a deaf ear,because so often the women says to their husbands,'your not listening' We may smile at those words,there may be a degree of truth in what is said. Often a parent says to their children,are you listening to what I say? of course they are,pull the other leg.But let us move on to a higher level,as regards God speaking and the importance of people listening and acting on what He says.In Psalm 95v 7-8/Hebrews 3 v 15,it reads 'Today, if you hear his voice not harden your hearts,as you did in the rebellion'.what does harden mean?it has different aspects to it,it can describe a person's feelings becoming tough and unfeeling,and unbelieving.During our Lords earthly ministery he spoke to many people,especially the religious leaders. In Matthew 13 v 15 He declares why 'Though seeing,they do not see; though hearing ,they do not hear or understand. ......For this people  have become calloused;the  word calloused means ,'cruel and not concerned with others fellings.It is a picture of people who do want to hear God's word.Such as the times we live in,we understand the non-Christian being like that ,but what about us who are Christians,are we listening? or do we have deaf ear?

Better He choose. ( Psalm 23 v 3)

 Sometimes in life you just have to accept things,I didn't get to be that missionary I wanted to be,but I have two son's in Chritian ministry,one who travels all over the world ministering.David wanted to build a temple but God said no, it didn't stop him from supplying the materials for the temple.Moses wanted to go into the promised land,but God said no,although he was allowed him to see it from afar. Paul wanted to be healed,but God said no,but God granted him the grace to bear it.Let us never forget God is in control in Psalm 47 v4 we read, 'He shall choose our inheritance for us'Jonah did not accept the task God had given him to do,but he soon learned,the folly of that,when he ended up in the belly of a great fish.You may have been let down in romance,consider that it was not God's choice for you.That promotion you wanted and it didn't happen,it was not God's choice for you.

                                                                 'Thy will be done'

Gangrene ( Romans 1 v16-17)

In Pauls letter to Timothy,who was  the leader of the church at Ephesus,and in chap 2 he warned him to deal with false teaching,and he describes the effects of  false teaching. If it was not dealt with it will spread like gangrene,or as John Stott puts it,'as dangerous as blood poisoning to the body and spreads like sepsis from a wound'.Thats how serious false teaching is,and yet sad to say some so called Christians  appear to be blind to that .There is a belief that that there are are different roads that lead to heaven,not so ,the historical Christ declared ,'That he was the way the truth and the life and that no man can come unto the Father but by Him.(John 14 v6 )I have just read how women are treated in Afghanistan ,being flogged ,and being kept as prisoners in their own home,and the terrible violence inflicted on so many dear people,because they are  Christians .But the problem is bigger than that ,false religions are built on falsehood,The Quran is built on falsehood,it denies that Christ did not die on the cross,and so millions of people are robbed of salvation,of having their sins forgiven,and that is very serious,and very sad.

Hope in God ( Psalm 42)

  Psalm 42 and 43,could be one Psalm, for they appear to have the same theme,of a man who is struggling ,yes there were reasons.He feels hemmed in and overwhelmed v7 he declares 'I hear the tumult of the raging sea as your waves and surging tides sweep over me'It could be he felt cut off from the house of God.(2/4)He was in such a state ,and there were those who kept asking him,'Where is your God?' Remember the enemy will always kick you when your down,in spite of this he had not lost his soul thirst for God v1-2 reads'As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you,my God. My soiul thirsts for God, for the living God.' May God help us from loosing our soul thirst for the living God.What can he do v 5/11 tells us the first things he did,he spoke to himself and here is what he said,'Why my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?'and then he answers the question,'Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God'V8 reads,'But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me',this caused him to rejoice,as it should cause us to rejoice.For we are told in Romans 8 v37-39 that nothing can seperate us the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It took a miracle. (Ephesians 2 v 1- 10)

 Do I believe that miracles still happen? yes I do,yet we must confess that miraculous healings don't happen often,but I'm sure they still happen. We often limit miracles to people being healed,but God's word dosen't.Right throughout the Bible we read  of healings,but also of people being delivered from slavery in a miraculous way. We read how God opened up the sea for His people to walk through on dry ground,so escaping from their enemies.Of a prophet being fed by birds,and that same prophet prayed and there was no rain for three and a half years.We read of Jesus walking on water,and turning water into wine, yes there are many miracles in the Bible.What is the greatest miracle that we can expereince?,what do you think it is?.It is Spurgeon who spoke of a 'Miracle of Grace',what did he mean by that? the answer is simple,it is the miracle of salvation,everytime a person gets saved it is a miracle.If you are a Christian then you have experienced a miracle,and of all miracles it is the greatest miracle of all.John W.Peterson wrote the following.

                                                    '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 souls ,cleaned and made me whole,

                                                      It took a miracle of love and grace'

Escape ( Genesis 19 v17)

Like many countries we have experienced very sunny and dry weather, with the result fires have broken out in many places.Many people have had to flee from the flames,leaving their homes and possessions,and just escape for their lives.Unfortunately some people lost their live.which was very sad. This reminds me that when John Wesley was a young boy,the home he lived in caught fire,most of the family escaped. In the confusion John who was sleeping was overlooked. John was only just over 5, he did wake up,by that time fire had got a hold ,and the stairs were on fire,but John managed to drag a chest up to window climbed on it,and showed himself  to the people below.At that very moment his father,in agonies of despair, was commending the infant soul to God.Two brave fellows saw the boy at the window, and saved him just before the roof collapsed.It was in memory of this escape that Wesley oftened referred to himself as ''a brand plucked out of the burning''.These words are taken from Zechariah 3 v2 av It is our Saviour who spoke of hell fire (Matthew 5 v22) and in Matt 13 v42 that evildoers are thrown into the firey furnace.There are  other scriptures were Jesus speaks of hell,and judgement,and every Christian are indeed brands plucked out of the burning,no firey judgement awaits us,but not so for the non Christian.