Shoplifting. ( Exodus 20 v15 )

 Shoplifting is on the increase in the UK ,its got out of control,seemingly if they steal something under a certain amount ,they don't get prosecutedand the police will not take any action. I feel very strongly against what is happening I heard a discussion on TV,someone said how good honest people will be doing it.Those who steal are not good honest people, they are thieves,and should be ashamed of themselves.The bigger question is this why are they not being prosecuted?,we have laws that deal with all sorts of things.I know that on a human level their are good honest people,but  humanities fallen nature needs to be restrained,the fact is, if they know that they can get away with something they will do it,that is from a minor thing to a major thing.There are evil goverments  that are doing awful things,because they can,don't be under any allusion as regards fallen human nature,it is capable of unbelieveable evil,if it is not restrained

                                                        'Today  shoplifting, tomorrow?'

Everyone. ( Proverbs 22 v 6)

Do you remember ther first time you sinned ? I do, I don't remember what age I was but I was young,at that time I didn't see it as a sin,but it was.Yes even very young children sin,we should not be surprised at that,after all we are born with a fallen nature,and the evidence of that fallen nature can manifested itself in very young children.That is why we should evangilise children,they need to be saved, I prayed for my children even before they were born and every day after that for their salvation.Thanks be to God they all know Christ as their Saviour,Likewise I pray for  my grandchildren and my great grandchildren.Just reently two of my grandchildren have come to know the Lord.I'm praying that they all may come to Christ,prayer is vital ,but teaching them the scriptures is also important. (2 Timothy 3 v15)

                                                                'Everyone needs Jesus,

                                                                 and I mean everyone'

Serving God ( James 1 v 27)

 How can we serve God?that's s good question,there are so many ways we can do that, it is important for all of us to find out,but not only find out but to do it.what would be an indication of some work,if you can't sing then don't join the choir.One of my sons job is an organizer of a group of a Christian churches,another one is the international director of a prayer ministry,he loves doing.What do you like to do?what can you do?.If you have children that's a wonderful ministry,I believe we all have some degree of gifting, in which we can serve God.There are many needy people all around us,pastors don't seem to visit like they use to,there could be valid reasons,lets not be to harsh on them.Maybe God is calling you to fill the gap,in so doing you would be helping your Pastor There is a man I know who lives on his own,I  heard him say he was lonely,his daughter does her best to support him.But she can't be there all the time,so he does'nt see anybody for a whole week.Serving God takes many forms but they are all important.

Meaning ( Romans 1 v 20 )

 In the book of Ecclesiastes 3 v11 we read,'   He (God) has also set eternity in the human heart'. some translations have world instead of eternity,Matthew Henry chooses world, but let us consider, 'that God has set eternity in the human hearts'.Why are  vast sums of money spent in the exploration of space.I believe it can be summed up in one word,'meaning'. They hope they will find the meaning of our exsistence,there is a want within the human heart,that won't go away.The evolutionist has not solved this want,and never will,they cannot answer satisfactory mankinds existence.To say it just all happened is an absurdity that is beyond words,could be that mankind is afraid of the real answer,that there is an eternal God who has placed in our hearts a sense of eternity/,that won't go away.We do try to make it go away in our blindness ,it is a spiritual blindness,that can look up into the heavens and see only the stars.They look at a new born baby and see only a baby, look at the beauty of this would,and only see the beauty.

                                                         'In the beginning God created the 

                                                          heavens and the earth'

                                    

Doing good ( Galatians 6 v 9-10)

It may sound trivial ,but I don't think so,I believe it's very important to do good,I could relate to you the many blessing I have every day,and yet I remenber the many who have very little of anything.Remember faith without works is dead,I can't help remembering my childhood  my mother who had left my father and she was left to bring four of us  ,how difficult it was for her, the difficult times leave their mark on you.but you do recall the kindness of people who helped one through the difficult times. God touched their heart ,I will always remember their kindness,and so does God.We read in Proverbs 19 v17,'Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will reward them for what they have done'.

                                                                'So let us do good'

                                                         

Hell ( Matthew 25 v 41 )

It is a long time since I have heard any preacher mention hell in their sermons ,most evangelials believe that hell is taught in the Bible,why do they not mention it?Dr Morey writes,'Since no one is told why he should believe that there really is a hell,doubts begin to creep into people's minds.It becomes unfashionable to speak of the doctrine of hell as being''unkind'',unloving'', or ''negative''. As one is called to the ministry it brings with it a imperative challenge to preach the whole counsel of God,heaven also hell,But people have said to me we are not to frighten people into become Christians,is that valid, I would say no,the fact is people should be afraid ,they should surely flee from the wrath to come. (Matthew 3 v7) Let us be very clear ,all non Christians are children of God's wrath ,so wrote the apostle of love,John 3v 36.Hell is not preached because we hate non Christians,it is because we love them,and weep for them.No one wants anyone to go to hell no matter how wicked they have been.Hell is not just for the worst of people.A friend of mine said one sin unforgiven  will take a person to hell, but the fact is the nicest of people  have committed many sins.I know many nice people who do a lot of good,but it is not the good we do that is the problem,it is the sins we commit,that's the rub. Jesus frequently spoke  about hell and judgement,as a place of,''unquenchable fire'' outer darkness ,and weeping and gnashing of teeth. If your are not a Christian flee from the wrath of God , turn to Jesus,before it is to late.

Hope ( Romans 4 v18ff)

 Alexander Pope said,''Hope springs eternal in the human heart'',I wonder what you think of those words,during the second world war a lady called Vera Lyn sung a song with the following words,'  We'll meet again,don't know when ,don't know where.But I know we'll meet again some sunny day''.Two aspects of hope,one hopes for many things that may happen ,but then again it may not,there are no guarantees.A elderly Christian lady I know who lives on her own, feels lonely and isolated,claims the promise in Hebrews 13 v 5,'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you',those words are what God has promised to her and to every believer,they give us hope.a sure and certain hope.There are Christians who are in prison cells for their faith,they are not forsaken or forgotten by God ,He is with them.and He is with you.They say that there are two things that are cetain in life,'death and taxes',but that's not true,if we know God we have hope,hope beyond the grave. Our Saviour said that even though we die we shall live again (John 11 v25),and when I have taken funeral services, of a person who is a Christian here are the words I would say as I commit that person to the ground,'earth to earth,ashes to ashes ,dust to dust; in sure and certain hope to eternal life,through our Lord Jesus Christ'.Do you have that hope?

Special ( Mark 3 v7-12)

Himmler's world view removed any notion of the inherent ''specialness''or sancity of human life for those outside his racial definition of Germanic people' The Nazies hated Christianity ,when our Saviour said ,'Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth, (Matthew 5 v 5)he pored scorn on,He stood for Darwins theory,the survival of the fittiest,which led to the destruction of all those  Nazies considered weak. To me humanity is special,whatever their condition or disability,why do I believe that?the answer is God.Nietzsche who is remembered ,for his 'God is dead',belief loathed Christianty and saw that concern for the lowly was a form of poison.He admired the Greeks  not dispite,but because of their cruelty'. Nietzsche would have have seen Christianity as a monster that needed to be destroyed,but those who walked in His footsteps created a monster,in nazism.In spite of humanities sinful condition,and behaviour,our great creator  see's us as special,that He loved us so much that whoever believes in Jesus (the crucified one)shall not perish,but have everlasting life'.  ( John 3 v16),I would just add that our Saviour manifested a loving concern towards the weak ,and disabled,he saw them as important.

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Lonliness ( John 15 v14 )

 It ws the Beatles who sang a song called ''Eleanor Rigby''one the verses went,All the lonely people,where do they all come from? ,All the lonely people,where do they all belong?When I was a young boy,we knew our neighbours,there were those who came into our house,they were very friendly.And one knew most of the children in the street,we played  marbles,or kick the tin,we even played football in the street,there was not to much traffic then,different now.I suppose they were happy days,people were friendly,very few people owned their own homes,rents were not to dear.Things have changed people are better off materially,one of the things that many people suffer from is lonliness.I have felt lonliness at times, particulary when I came back to the Lord but God brought people into my life who befriended me.I believe God can meet our needs,and provide friends for us,he has done it for me all through my life.My best  friend is my Saviour Jesus,he is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother,I am conscious of His presence with me everyday.I talk to Him all the time,and He listens.

                                             'What a friend we have in Jesus'

                                              

                                              

                                             

Suffering ( Habakkuk 3 v16-19)

A friend of mine said this,'Can't help wondering about the purposes of God,but still we must surrender to His wisdom'.Yes we all must wonder at times,why many of God's children are suffering terrible things by evil regimes and evil people. It hits a person hard when something evil happens to someone you love,I do not know how I would react if it happened to me,would I curse God and die? .It is easy to mouth words ,the fact is we do not know how we would react.In the daily devotional,Our Daily Bread, one of the contributors wrote the  following,'' You deceived me,Lord''the prophet Jeremiah cried (20 v7) ''Will you forget me forever?'' David wrote ( Psalm13 v1) ''God has wronged me'' Job said (19 v 6) The writer said, God never rebuked them.Those three men were not perfect but they were honest as to how they felt,I believe God wants honesty from us, for he loves us,and understands why we are angry at him,in that darkest place He is there with us,yes standing somewhere in shadows is Jesus,who by His grace will bring us through this trial of our faith to a brigther day.

                                                                         A prayer

                                                        'Let no incident of life,pleasing or

                                                         painful,injure the prosperity of my

                                                         soul'. Amen.

                                                             From Valley of Vision.

                                                             

It is no secret ( Ephesians 3 v 20)

 One evening Stuart Hamble visted John Wayne,and they were discussing how people solved problems, Stuart said,'It is no secret what God can do in a man's life'.As he was leaving John  said,'Stuart you should write a song abou that',and he did just that,and it became a very popular song,Here are the words he wrote.

                                                    'The chimes of time ring out the new's,

                                                     Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you.

                                                    You may have longed for  added strength

                                                     Your courage to renew

                                                     Do not be dicouraged,for I bring news forbyou.

                                                     It is no secret what God can do,

                                                     What He's done for others,He'll do for  you,

                                                     With arms wide open He'll pardon you,

                                                      It is no secret what God can do.

                                          'Look up to our God ,who can do the impossible'

                                                  

Unique. (Genesis 1 v26-27)

I read recently how certain people before they make important decisions consult chicken bones, why do they do that?, simply because they are Animist, who believe that animals,plants,rocks,rivers and weather systems possess a distinct spiritual essence.Hinduism incorporates signifcant elements of animism. I suppose that's why they turn to chicken bones.I remember reading of a man shouting at a rock,wanting a response.There was an song with the following words,'I spesk to the trees but they don't listen to me,of course they don't,because they are trees. Only man was made in the imsge of God,only man exsits after death,only man or humanity can have a relationship with God.But the question is this,where will we exsist after death ?,will it be heaven or hell?,that depends if they we  have come to a right relationship with God,that comes about when we come to know Jesus as our Saviour, that is why He came into this sinful world,to save sinners.

                                                          'In loving kindness Jesus came,

                                                          My soul in mercy to reclaim

                                                          And from the depths of sin and shame

                                                          Through grace He lifted me'    

A cloudy mirror ( Isaiah 55 v 8-9)

I have a little book called,'The  Valley of  Vision',it contains,'Puritan Prayers and Devotions',I read it occasionally ,I read the following,'Nothing can befall me,without God's permission,appointment,and administration'. These are very challenging words,and because God is sovereign they must be true,as you read this,you mind find it hard to accept those words.Consider Job and what happened to him,he had 10 children,they were all meeting together ,feasting and drinking and a very strong wind blew the house down ,and they all died.He lost servants when they were attaked by people called the Sabeans ,he had a vast amount of livestock he lost them also,then lastly he became seriously ill.God permitted all that ,and his wife told him to curse God and die,he replied, 'shall we accept good from God,and not trouble'His answer fits in with the opening words,what God permits what comes into our lives.I was praying for Christians who are suffering greatly,and I read how a believer was beheaded by Islamic extremist,it really upset me,and I cried.Let us not judge God whose ways are past finding out,All I can say is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 v 12.'Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete,but then I will know everything completely,just as God now knows me completely'

                                                      

                                              

There is hope.( Colossians 1 v 27)

 Humanity has accomplished so much ,they sent a rocket into space with people in it and went round the moon and back again,a tremendous achievement.There are cars that don't need a driver,most of us have wonderful TV's,of course there are countries that  are not so well off.There are still many homeless,and violence is everywhere,in so many countries there are serious conflicts going on.In Bob Dylan's song,'Blowing in the wind',he asks a lot of serious questions,like ,'How many deaths will it take 'tll he knows,that two many people have died?'.Inspite of all humanities achievements,it will never change,I wish I could say it will change,but it won't,the kingdoms of this world will not change,they will only invent more sophisticated ways of destroying one another and cheat one another.Is there any hope?,yes it comes through Jesus,who came to bring people into a kingdom that's not of this world,it is called the kingdom of God,it offers to everyone a wonderful opportunity to be a citizen of that kingdom by trusting Jesus as their Saviour.They will live and reign with Him for all eternity,in perfect peace and harmony.

Our great high priest ( 1 Timothy 2 v 5)

Writing on Jesus our great high priest in Hebrews 4 v14-16,the writer declares,'Therefore,since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,Jesus the Son of God,let us hold firmly to the faith we profess' Hebrews is written to Jewish believers,who were struggling,the new covenant had come in, replaced by Jesus,who is the Son of God,in otherwords He is divine,no more sacrifices,no more trying to be justified by keeping the law.A new way has opened up before them, the way of faith ( Genesis 15 v6) ,The old covenant is absolete it was but a shadow of the good things to come (Heb 10 v 1) That goes for the Aaronic Priesthood it was never meant to be permanent,it would replaced  by a new Priesthood Cp  Gen 14 v18/Psalm 110 v4. and that is Jesus,who is now in Heaven,interceeding for us before God.This is what we read about Him,'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 everyway just as we are,yet He did not sin.Let us then  approach God's throne of Grace with confidence,so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need'. (Heb 4 v15 -16)

Being presumptuous. (Psalm 19 v14 )

                                                     'Keep back your servant from presumptuous

                                                      sins; let  them not have dominion over me!

                                                      Then I shall be blameless,and innocent of

                                                       great transgression.  (Psalm 19 v 13)

So wrote king David,and it's good instruction,he is asking God to stop him from deliberately disobeying him.He is asking God for strength to stop sinning willfully.In the devotional 'Word for today' published by UCB) the writer is dealing with prayer where he asks for grace that he may walk neither in self-doubt nor in self- confidence because we know that apart from Christ, we can do absolutely nothing'  (John 15 v5 ) No one is immune from sinning,David was guilty,Peter was guilty,the list goes on.We often hear of ministers falling ,the nicest people can fall,you and I can,you may have.Count the cost of sinnig,whatever reputation you had as a man or woman of God will be no longer.People will remember you not for the good you have done,but the sin you have committed.The good news is God will forgive your sins no matter how bad they have been,and He will not hold that against you if you trully repent. 

God's choice (Matthew 19 v 16-26)

In Mark 12 v 37 we resd,'And the common people heard Him gladly',in  India a land of 1.46 billion people 80 percent are Hindu;approximately 2-5 percent Christian. More than half of India's Chritians are Dalits (the lowest status according to the Hindu caste system) John Wesley's writes of a group people whom he labled as the great vulgar, they were the well of people.He speaks of them as being rude,rough,vulgar.He writes how he could deal with colliers,or with 'honest Welshmen'',but he could not plumb the emptiness of the gay trifiers.He went on to say,'It is hard to get a rich man to heaven, hard to get a fool there; and as for a rich fool,there seems to be no hope for him'.In  1 Corinthians1 v26 'Not many wise after the flesh,not many mighty, not many noble,are called.'They make their choice but God makes His choice,the foolish and the weak ( 1 Cor 1 v 27),the poor of this world rich in faith (James 2 v 5)

The word of God is ( Psalm 119 v 89)

Psalm 119 has 176  verses by far the longest psalm,it has 22 equal stannzas,each headed by a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. The main  theme of the Psalm is the word of God,the writer stresses many things,the law of God,which is God's wholly loving boundaries, that are for our well being,look at the evils in this world,  anything  seems to be acceptable and where many do what's right in their own eyes,but not so in God's eyes.I just want to hightlight verse 105 ,which reads ,'Your word is a lamp for my feet,a light for my path'. Our Saviour said,'If then the light within you is darkness,how great is that darkness.(Matthew 6 v 23) the religions of the world have their so called holy books, how great is there darkness.They have there so called holy men,how great is their darkness,the atheist  hides in the darkness of his own mind,how great is that darkness,the evolutionist believe that this universe just happened,how great is their darkness. William Plumer comments ', The word of God can solve a thousand doubts'It alone gives effectual comfort in the day of distress,It  preserves our feet from forbidden paths.'.

                         

There is mercy ( Psalm 6)

One writer puts the following words over Psalm 6, 'Prayers and Tears' He points out that this psalm is the first of the seven so called ,penitential psalms' David is concisous of wrongs that he has done and he pleads for mecy,he appears to be suffering from some illness an affiction from God and so he cries unto God to relieve him of his affliction. David was a man beloved of God ,a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13 v14/ Acts 13 v27) But God has no favourites ( Romans 2 v11)It is in  Hebrews 12 v 6 we read ,'For the Lord disciplines those He loves,and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.'Be it David, be it you be it me.It ends on a happy note for we read,'The Lord has heard my plea;the Lord will answer' v 9. If you have sinned,which we all do ( 1 John 1 v 8) ,repent and seek His forgiveness and mercy through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Courage ( Psalm 23)2

Now let us consider the next aspect of the serenity prayer ,it begins with the word 'Courage', for what?,'to change the things I can'.the question is what are the things that need changing in our lives?.I puzzled about this,you know, and God knows ,what are the things in your life that needs changing, What about fear?,now fear is a good thing,the fear of the Lord is a good thing,we are told as regards the unbelievers that ,'There is no fear of God before their eyes,' (Romans 3 v 18)And so they do all sorts of evil,sinful things,a man said to me recently I'm not a bad person,and I replied yes you are more than likely a better person than me,but you are still a sinner,this is what our Saviour said,'I will show you whom you should fear,fear Him (God)  who after your body has been killed,has authority to throw you into hell,Yes ,I tell you fear him'. (Luke 12 v 5) .God is to be  feared but God is also merciful,and he will show mercy  through Jesus Christ,who died for sinners, Now dear Christian, how big a problem is fear in your life?,Are you being being ruled by fear,we will all feel fear,but is fear ruling your life?God has not given us a Spirit of fear,but of power and of love and of a sond mind . (2 Timothy 1 v7) 

                                                      ' Don't be afraid,for I am with you.

                                                        For I am your God,I will strength

                                                        you and help you.I will hold you .

                                                        up with my victorious right hand'.

                                                                      Isaiah 41 v10

Our helper. (Psalm 121)

Psalm 21 starts ,'I will lift up mine eyes to the hills,from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord ,which made heaven and earth' The NLT puts it like this,'I look up to the mountains-does my help come from there?' and there is a resounding no to that, and his answer is this,'My heip comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth'.When the enemy of our souls is pressing in upon us which he will,he will do all he can to frighten us and discourage us.When trials are pressing in upon us let us look to one who made heaven and earth,is there anything to hard for Him to sort out,no,there isn't,'He can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think' (Ephesians 3 v20) He is the helper of the helpless, and the  hopeless,when other helpers fail and comforts flee,so let us trust our great creator.

This poor man (Psalm 34 )

Psalm 34 is very instructive psalm,with many lessons to teach us,it is written by David,it speaks of him being delivered v6 reads,'This poor man cried,and the Lord heard him,and saved him out of all his troubles'.What does he mean by declaring himself a poor man? after all he was the man ,who slew the giant ,who went on to be a great warriour, and yet he calls himself a poor man.Well it is in Matthew 5 v3  our Saviour said,'Blessed our the poor in spirit,'What does it mean to be poor in spirit,one writer puts it like this,'It refers to those who recognize their spiritual poverty,humility,and absolute dependence on God rather than relying on self sufficency or material wealth' Our Lord is stressing that when we come to God for salvation we acknowledge that we are spiritual bankrupt,and we cast ourselves on the mercy and grace of God .But it doesn't stop there,that is the attitude we must have all our lives,like David we will always be poor in spirit. That confession by David  meant the Lord heard him,and saved him out of all his troubles, yes all his troubles,God does not do things by half.

Knowing God ( Psalm 23 )

Let us consider psalm 23,the best known of all the psalms,verse 1 reads,'The Lord is my shepherd I lack nothing',the AV,reads,'I shall not want.' It is a personal declaration of his relationship with God,God is not an impersonal being,he is not an isolationist,cold and indifferent ,no he desires a relationship with us humans.If you don't know Him personally then you don't know Him,and the only way we can know him personally,is by asking Jesus to be ones Saviour.John 1 v12 we read, 'But to all who believed him,and accepted Him,he gave the right to become children of God'.If we dont know Him we are not Children of God. And when we do know Him,then we shall not want,He will provide for us,and we will lack for nothing,He is the great provider, looking after all His childrens needs. Next verse reads 'He makes me to lie down in green pastures', here is a word for all you workaholics,you who are busy,busy,busy,don't be surprised if God intervenes in your life and makes you to have needed rest.In Mark 6 we read how the disciples were very busy,to busy,and Jesus spoke to them and said,'Come aside by yourselves .....and rest a while'.

                                                           'We are not machines

                                                             we need rest'

Our greatest need (Acts 16 v31)

 If I was to ask someone who are the heathen,what would they say?,if I was to ask you what would you say?. A Dr.Robert A. Morey writes the following,'The proper definition of ''heathen'' is any and every unbeliever. We must not allow people to assume that the word ''heathen'' refers only to the primitive peoples of the Third W.orld. The unbelievers  who live in New York or London constitute the heathen just as much as the Hindus or Australian bushmen'.We must grasped the breathe of Romans 3 v 10, 'There is no one righteous,not even one;' this is followed up describing what that means,' No one understands;there is no one who seeks God.All have turned away they have become worthless ; there is no one who does good not even one',The natural man does not seek after God,I have found it so,only if God moves by His Spirit,will people seek after God. Turning away from God,results in moral corruptness,So follows the evil that proceeds from their tongues,and v15 describes the violent nature of man,who can argue against that.V16-18 things don't get any better,'Ruin and misery mark their ways,and the way of peace they do not know,and there is no fear of God before their eyes' v23 tells us 'that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' This is a very dark picture painted here, so don't tell me that humanity doesn't need a Saviour,or put it personally,that you don't need a Saviour,that Saviour is Jesus.

What we must do. (Psalm 37)

Psalm37 was written by David when he was an old man, v 25 which reads,'I have been young,and now am old; yet have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread'.What a tremendous testimony to God's faithfulness,as to God's people and to their children.Like David I'm and old man  and I can say amen to what David has written,he has provided for me and my family,we have been in some tight spots in our lives,but God has been faithful. In v3 we read ,'Trust in the Lord and do good;if we do that ,then goodness will follow us from the Lord. v4 reads ,'Delight thyself in the Lord;and he shall give thee the desires of your heart'.Jesus said 'seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you'

(Matthew 6 v33). v4 reads,'Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him;and He shall bring it to pass'. Those three verses tell us a number of things,what we must do,'trust in the Lord,' delight thyself also in the Lord', Commit are way unto the Lord'.When we do this then we will see what God will do.

A slimy pit experience (Psalm 40 v1-3)

Let us consider Psalm 40 v1-3,the psalm was written by king David who appears to be in great difficulties ,and what did he do in his difficulties?He turned not in a half hearted way to God,for we read ,'I waited patiently for the Lord, the NEB puts it like this,'I waited,waited,',often prayers will be answered immediately CP Isaiah 65 v24,but often when we pray patience is called for,even though our situation is desperate, but God never comes to late in answer to our prayers,so it was in Davids experience,and it  can be yours. Verse two tells us how desperate his situation was, here is what it says 'He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire', there is no pit no matter how slimy it is,that God cannot save us out of.That goes for the saint,and the sinner,but he does not just lift us out our horrible pit,he sets our feet on a rock .the words of a hymn comes to mind,they read,'On Christ the solid rock I stand ,all other ground is sinking sand'.Verse 3 reads ,'He put a new song in my mouth,a hymn of praise to our God,' In Ephesians 5 v 19 we read,'Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord'. And if people hear you singing,and they ask why your singing,you can tell them the great things the Lord has done for you

                                                    'Hold on joy comes in the morning'

Made in God's image ( Matthew 12 v 9- 14)

 Two young lads got up to sing in a Christian fellowship, here  is a few of the lines they sung ' The way I am is how God created me',So don't laugh when you see a  person living with a disability, they too are created in the image of God'.Those two boys had disabilities,so that was a song for acceptance, most of us would say amen to that song,but not all.I love the little chorus which goes,'Jesus loves the little children ,all the children of the world,red and yellow black and white,all our precious in His sight,Jesus loves the little children'.I read of a place in Africa were parents kept their children with disabilities in doors, thankfully that  changed when local Christians started up a support group.Do pray for families with children who have special needs,they will more than likely care for those those children for the rest of their lives .We can support them with encouaging words and even with encouraging help.

Idoaltry ( 1Corinthians 10 v20 -21)

 What is idolatry?some people may see it as bowing down to a wooden or a stone idol but of course it goes much further than that,it can be anything. One may worship a football team,or a sports personality,or a well known entertainer,and so we could go on.The first of the commandments tells us that we are not to worship any other god's but Jehovah, Why do so many worship other gods,because they are blind,they worship stone images,they have ears but they cannot hear,eyes yet they cannot see.Such is the darkness of the human soul,that what I am saying means nothing to them.Even Christians can worhip other god's ,William Cowper wrote a hymn with the following words in it,'The dearest idol I have known,whate'er that idol be,help me to tear it from Thy throne,and worship onlyThee'.Judas fell into that trap by worshipping money,Demas did because he loved this world'( 2 Timothy 4 v 10) We often hear people being asked who is your idol? what would your answer be if someone asked you that?

I can't see Him ( 1 Peter 1 v 8-9)

Queen Elisebeth use to say,'' she had to be seen to be believed'',I can undertand that,after Queen Victoria's husband died the queen became a recluse and that went on for many years,and people began question the monarchy,so eventually she returned to her duties.In 1Peter 1v8 we read ,'Though you have not seen Him; you love Him'.It was our Lord who said,'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe' (John 20 v 29) It does not depreciate the faith of those who did see Him,but as one commentator writes,'For us,faith comes not by sight, but from what is heard (or read) and what is heard comes by the word ( Romans 10 v17) That word is infallable it is God breathed,it is not built on legends, or on mythology but on truth ,it's history is true,its  teaching is true,it's all true.A vast number of people have holy books ,that are full of lies,yet they believe them,to the damnation of their souls.God's word is built on truth,but unfortionately they choose a lie rather than the truth.

                                                                        Jesus said

                                                                I am the way the truth

                                                               and the life and no man

                                                               commith  unto the Father

                                                               but by Me'  (John 4 v6)

                                                               

9

                                                                              

                                                                       

                                                               

Rest ( Matthew 24 v 13)

 Lets consider another aspect of rest, in Hebrews 4 v11 we read, 'Let us make every effort to enter that rest'. The writer was dealing with those who were in danger of turning back, and the severe consequences if they did,he writes as an example the people in the wilderness who did not enter the promise land,(He calls it rest)they were full of unbelief,so they perished in the wilderness.He expresses the importance hearing and obeying the word of God (4 v 7)What is this rest he mentions?we get the answer in Revelation 14 v 13,'Then I heard a voice from heaven say,Write this; blessed are dead who die in the Lord from now on' Yes says the Spirit,'they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them'. so he is talking about heaven which all true believers will go to. So he writes that they  make every effort to enter that rest,what the writer them and us, there is a need for the Christian to persevere ,a life to be lived out in obedience to our Saviour. James wrote,' Show me your faith', in other words an evidence that you are a Christian,likewise  perseverence is an evidence that we are truly are Christians.                                                                                            

9

Words (Isaiah 6 v 1-7 )

The British rock band ''Deep Purple' met a long time super fan,the Japanese PM,and this is what she said to one of the band,''you are my god''.What a strange thing to say,ah you may say well she really didn't mean he was a god.Well she said it,this is what our Saviour said,'But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken.For by your words you will be acquitted ,and by your words you will be condemned' (Matthew 12 v 36-37) There is coming a day when that lady will see the folly of what she said,not only the folly,but the seriousness of what she said,and its consequences.There will be a day when all those who said, '' Caesar is Lord'',will be judged.What people don't realise that God is holy,and everytime they say wrong things like that lady,they offend a holy God,  judgement will follow.

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.

Never (Psalm 42/43)

Psalms 42 /43 te writer is a spiritual man in verses 1-2 he expresses his great thirst for God,he thinks of his past spiritual experiences,but now he is overwhelmed ,he feels oppressed by enemies and those who mock him. He is struggling feeling cast down, and he does something that we all do,he talked to himself, challenging himself.Yes the most godly people struggle at time feel overcome to the point of despair,in 2 Corinthians 1 v8 we read how Paul and his companions we're in such a situation that they despaired even of life.So here is what the psalmist said to himself,'Why ,my soul,are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him,my Saviour and my God'.His adversaries had  chided him,''Where is your God?''When my dear first wife died,her father who was not a Christian pointed mockingly at a plaque with words that read,'Jesus never fails' I never felt that Christ failed me,nor did the psalmist,and nor should you child of God.Let us all put our hope in our loving God who will never fail us.

Change ( John 3v30)1

•  Sitting on my desk there is a little square stone with words on it ,here is what it says,

                                                                                                                                                              

                                                   ' God grant me the serenity

                                                    to accept the things I can-

                                                    not change,the courage to

                                                    change the things I can and

                                                     the wisdom to know the

                                                    difference.'

In my long years,I have discovered there are things that I cannot change no matter how much I prayed, it took along time to accept that truth, There are so many things in life that can effect us and we find that so hard to accept, what I struggled with is different at to what you struggle with. We must not lean on our own understanding that's a trap we all fall into,no we must trust in our sovereign God,the hymn writer wrote the following words,

                                             'Every joy or trial falleth  from above,

                                             Traced upon our dial by the Sun of love.

                                             We must trust Him fully.

If God is sovereign which He is ,then there is a  purpose in those things in life which we cry out in tears for Him  to change,and yet He doesn't,why ?,well that very  thing which we want Him to change, is the very thing He is using to change us. 

                                                    ' Jesus you are changing me,

                                            By your Spirit You're making me like You'

God ( Matthew 28 v 19)

God knows His children no matter where they are,we are told that,' The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,and His ears are attentive to their cry.' ( Psalm34 v 15). His children are not out of His sight, the word 'Omnipresent' relates only to God meaning that He is everywhere at the same time. He see's all things,nothing is hidden from Him,when it comes to God there is no hiding place. Not only is God  omnipresent He is'Omniscient',which means that He is all knowing,there is nothing He doesn't know,He knows every thing about us, and everything about this world , after all He made it,God is infinite in His being .Who can we compare Him to? the answer is no one, He has no begining ,He always has exsisted  and He always will,He is unchanging, He is holy,He is just ,and He is love.He is a triune being,Father, Son,and Holy Ghost,three but one,and one but three.All three are mention in the scripture as being God, there is no other way to explain them. God is awesome,and mysterious who made us in his  image,one commentater writes the following,'When God made us we reflected Him,  we were given an unique status,a divine dignity as human beings.The fall effected that I'm not sure to what degree,but in eternity that will be restored completly (Romans 8 v 29)   

He-who-Must not- be-named ( Matthew 9 v13)

In the Harry Potter movies the arch enemy was Lord Voldemort,he created a spirit of fear,so much so that we read,He-who-Must-not-be -named. I wonder why'Well could it be that,that even as Christians we never mention the devil,in many pulpits he is never mentioned,I want to mention three things about him. In 2Corintians 11 v14 we read , 'For Satan himself  masquerades as angel of light '. in other words he takes on many forms,he first appeared as a snake that could actually speak  (Gen3,) and look where that landed humanity.Things have not changed ,he comes at mankind in so many different ways,and humanity  believes his lies,to their destruction. Next verse 1Peter 5 v 8 which reads ,'Be alert and of sober mind,your enemy the devil prowls around  like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour'He hates us the most ,so he will do everything he can to destroy us.Take those words serious,because he is very serious,he will will leave us in tatters,so be on your gaurd. Next verse John 8 v 44, 'He was a murderer from the bginning,not holding to the truth,for there is no truth in him.When he lies,he speaks  his native language,for he is a liar and the father of lies' John Stott writes 'The devil disturbs the church as much by error as by evil.When he cannot entice Christian people into sin,he deceives them into false doctrine'.

The Bible ( Luke 4 v 14- 19)

Spurgeon said,''The Bible is our standard authority;none may turn from it,Others may worship science, reason,and their own judgements,but the God we worship is the God of the scriptures''.The Bible is unique ,what makes it so? because it God's word,when we read it God is speaking to us.Other religions have what they call holy scriptures,but they are neither holy or scriptures,They believe in gods who are not God's for there is only one God  the God of the Bible (Roman 3 v30).How do we get to know this God? read the Bible,hear the word of God proclaimed ,for faith cometh by hearing God's word. (Romans 1,0 v17)In the Bible we find the meaning of life read the first chapters of Genesis ,how this universe and earth came into beimg,and and how humanity came into being.At that time there was no sin in the world,everything was pure and holy until that moment when the greatest  catastrophe in all human history took place.The jewel the crown of God's creation did the unthinkable,they sinned,and that brought us under a curse,we were never meant to die that has changed,for the wages of sin is death,so we all die ,but we have a soul that will never die,and in that condition we will spend eternity in hellThat is the dark. side,it must be taken serious,God does,but He has provided a way to be saved.

                                                    A man once asked the question,

                                                    what must I do to be saved,he 

                                                    was told,'Believe in the Lord 

                                                     Jesus and thou shalt be saved.  (Acts 16 v31)

The great prophet (Isaiah 6 v 1ff)

One of the greatest of the prophets was Isaiah through him we have outstanding prophetic utterances,  in chapter 39,he told king  Hezekiah that the mighty army of Assyria would not conquer Jerusalem,not only that ,their king would return to his land,and that came about (Isa 37 v 21ff) In chap52-53 we have the  suffering of our redeemer Jesus proclaimed,in such graphic details ,it is as if Isaiah sat at the foot of the cross. No wonder we call the utterances of Isaiah,' the gospel according to Isaiah'.There are many other utterances made by this wonderful man, yes he was a man a very godly man, not a perfect man,it is not me that's says this,he says it himself,when he was called to be a prophet (chap 6 ),,and had a vision of God and of God's holiness ,and he cries out,'Woe to me!  I cried,'I am ruined! for I am a man of unclean lips,'We honour such people as Isaiah,but He needed a Saviour,just like you and me,he needed his sins forgiven,and in verse 6 ,we read that his sins were forgiven. If a great prophet had to have his sins forgiven,how much more do we need our sins forgiven.

                                                        'Thee are no exceptions to the rule ,

                                                         we all need to kneel at the foot of 

                                                          cross,and ask Jesus to be our 

                                                                          Saviour

The Holy Spirit. ( Ephesians 3 v16)

 As Christians we have the Holy Spirit ,we are told our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6 v19-20),it is He who bears witness with our Spirit that we are God's children (Romans 8 v16). He also helps us in our weakness Rom 8 v 26, what are you facing today?, difficulties, temptation,tasks that seem to be beyond you, so let me repeat what I have said,the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness. In that same verse we read ,that He will help us in our prayers, it tells us,'We do not know what to pray for,but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans'.John  Murry writes,' Christ is our intercessor in the court of heaven,while the Holy Spirit is our intercesser in the theatre of our own hearts'. Just a few more thoughts on the Holy Spirit,He empowers us Acts 1 v8, He guides us John 14 v26,and produces fruit in our lives ,Galatians 5 v22-23.

                                          'The Holy Spirit is here ,where saints in prayer agree,

                                           As Jesus parting gift He's near,each pleading company.

                                          He dwells within our soul,an ever welcome guest;

                                          Our bodies are His shrine,and He the indwelling Lord;

                                          All hail, Thou Comforter divine,be evermore adored.

                                                                  Words C H.Spurgeon

The man who got side tracked. ( Luke 15 v11 ff)

 I don't know much about baseball ,but I watched a movie of the life of Rob Hobbs,one of the all time greats. From an early age he loved basball and he was very good at it.But he got side tracked, went away from the game,but later on he came back to the game,and the rest is history.The Bible tells us about a young man, we read about in Luke 15,we don't know his name ,he had an older brother.Like a lot of young people he got side tracked,when the father died,they would both receive an inheritance ,but the young boy was impatient,he wanted it now,so he went to his father and said ''give me my share of the estate'',and the father did that.He went of into a far country and squandered his wealth on wine ,women and song, and to crown it all there was a severe famine,and he couldn't pay his way.Things got worse and worse and nobody would help him,he had hardly any cloths,and was  barefoot.He hired himself out to a pig farmer, and it was them he stopped and thought,my fathers servant are better of than me yet here I am starving .I will return to my father beg his forgiveness and asked him to make me like one of his hired servants.So of he went and you just can imagine what was going through his mind,Well his father father saw him coming he threw his arms around him and kissed him,the son asked his fathers forgiveness and that he was no more worthy to be his son.But the father called his servand to bring the best clothes,and sandals to wear,and a put a ring on his finger,and prepare a great meal, and said,For this son of mine was dead,is alive again,was lost and is found.We will finish there with these words you may be like that young been side tracked,and your life is a total mess,return to  Jesus and he will put you back on track.

                                                   '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.' ( Words William J. kirkpatrick)

                                                  

                                                    

Looking at things differently ( Philippians 4 v 8-9)

When we become a Christian,we enter a new relationship with Jesus,we are now children of God, and from that point onwards ,we look at life differently,we are guided by God's moral boundaries.We are not to look at the fair sex as being just sex objects,they are to be respected,When a person is raped,the rapists is treating that person purely as a sex object,likewise those who indulge in pornography,this also applies to prostitution.God did not create woman to be sex objects,to be abused,He made them to be coequal with man. The commandments and our Lord's teaching, plus not forgetting what we are taught in all scripture  become the norm of our moral boundaries.If God's word tells us something is wrong,we must not cross His moral boundaries,if we cross that line we are sinning.King David did and paid a price,if we do we will pay a price also,it will be hard to live with a guilty conscience.Remember we are called to be a holy people,thats the meaning of the word saint .The word saint is used 67 time in the NT,every child of God is  referred to as being a saint,one set apart for God's special purposes.

Changed ( 2 Corinthians 3 v 18)

 I remember one message I was preaching and I said God loves us but He does not love us as we are,after the message a lady came to me,and she was upset,at what I said.I tried to explain to her what I meant but to no avail.Now what did I mean? first let me say this,God's love is unmerited,undeserved,He loves us,but there are many things He doesn't love,and so a work  by God's Spirit begins, to transform us,to be more like Christ.(Roman 8 v 29)It's a process called sanctification ,where those unchristlike aspects of our lives are dealt with. In 2 Corithians 3 v18 we read ,'that we are being transformed into His likeness' it is not our physical likeness it is a Christlike charcter, that inner man,that needs changed. Galatians 3 v 22-23 spells it out,instead of being filled with sexual immorality, impurity,lustful pleasures,idolatry,sorcery, dissension.division,hostility,quarreling,jealousy,outburts of anger,selfish ambitition,dissension,division, envy, drunkenness,wild parties,and other sins,like these.These will be replaced by love,joy ,peace,patience, kindness,goodness,faithfulness ,gentleness,and self control.' Charles Wesley wrote,

                                                      'Finish then Thy new creation,

                                                       Pure and spotless may we be;

                                                       Let us see Thy great salvation

                                                       Perfectly restored in Thee!

                                                       Changed from glory into glory.

                                                        Till we cast our crowns before Thee,

                                                        Lost in wonder,love and praise.'

!

I have become a Christian. ( Matthew 18 v 3)

It was 8am and my phone went,and to my surprise our eleven year old grandson was phoning ,it was the first time he had ever phoned.This is what he said,'I've become a Christian ,what a wonderful thing to hear that,I have many grandchildren,some are Christians some are not,sad to say to many are not,but still it was  wonderful to hear my grandson saying he had become a Christian,his name is Oliver,do pray for him. I trusted Jesus as a young boy,and although I did not always follow Him that always stayed with me.Let us never forget that children have a soul,and need a Saviour.There is no age limit as to when a person can become a Christian. You remember when the parents brought their children to Jesus so He could bless them, and how the disciples told them off,but Jesus intervened and said ,'Let the little children come to me,and do not hinder them'.  (Matthew19 v14) They are at a greater advantage they possess  that which adults generally don't have Jesus speaks of it in Matthew 18 v 3,which reads ''Unless you change and become like little children, you will nevrr enter the kingdom of heaven'.One person comments on this verse ssys,'Jesus taught that to enter the kingdom of God one must possess ,the  humility , trust, and openness of a child'.

Forgiven ( Hebrews 9-10 v 1-18)

I have a friend whom I visit, he is housebound ,he is aged 91,I have known him for a long time,he has a wonderful testimony of how God saved him many years ago in Dublin's fair city.He was brought up in  a Roman Catholic family, most people in Dublin in fact in Southern Ireland were Catholic's.His brother became a priest,and he himself  joined a religious order for a while.He went to Mass and confession regularly, but for all his religiosity he had no peace,no assurance of his sins being forgiven.Let me digress and ask  why he had no assurance of salvation.The Mass is seen as Christ being sacrificed  again and again,so it goes on unending.Christ came to put an end of continual sacrifices.In Hebrews 10 we are told that they were only a shadow of the good things that were coming through Christ .The sacrifice of animals God did not  desire they could not effectively deal with sin,we are told that God had no pleasure with blood offerings and sin offerings.So Christ in obeying the will of God,offered Himself up as one sacrifice for sin never to be repeated again. (Hebrews 9 v 27-28)So it was as my Friend read the scriptures he realised that Christs one time offering would effectively deal with His sin.

                                                              'Not all the blood of beasts, 

                                                               On Jewish altars slain,

                                                               Could give the guilty conscience peace,

                                                               Or wash away the stain.

                                                                But Christ the heavenly Lamb,

                                                                Takes all our sins away;    (Words  Isaac Watts)

If only ( James 1 v 22)

How meaningful are those two words,''If only'',we turn to Isaiah 48 the context is Babylon that super- powers reign was coming to an end (Chap 47),that would mean Israels captivity was coming to an end,they were going home. So God speaks to remind them that all the suffering they had experienced need not have happened,'If only' (48 v18) you had paid attention to God's commands.It is as simple as that,God had sent prophets to them  to warn them to turn back to God, sometimes they did but often they didn't. If only they had obeyed God they would have been indestructible,no power be it ever so great would have conqueror them.God's patience has it's limit its.and so God would turn against them,Our Saviour summed it up in Matthew 23 v 37,'Jerusalem ,Jerusalem,you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,how often I longed to gather your children together,as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,and you were not willing'. Let us all learn from Israels experience that there will be consequences in forsaking God,is God saying to you or me?,''If only''.

Love ( 1 Corinthians 13)

 We hear the word love often mentioned in songs,an old song comes to mind the words ,'Love is a many splender thing, it's the April rose that only grows in the early spring'.That's based on romantic love,that  St Valentine's love,I still give my wife a Valentine's card,and some chocolate,she bought me rose's.There is nothing wrong with doing that,but we should know that love goes much further than that.Love is vital in our relationship,it should be the glue that holds our marriages together.One sometimes hears of a loveless marriage that's unfortunate, we should not be surprised if such a marriage does not last.Paul stressed the importance of love,he wrote if we have not love no matter about our sacrifices,or our spiritual gifts,or our faith that can remove mountains, we are nothing.To manifest Christian love is not optional,there is no get out clause ,we have to love.that means we have to forgive,because someone has hurt you deeply,or hurt someone you love.It is challenging to me as I write this,what if,yes ,what if,will I still love them?. You may be saying to God I can't forgive that person they have hurt me so much,what is the answer? Well we must look at the cross,the cross is the greatest act of love ever manifested,God could easily have said I've had enough , but He didn't, He chose to love us,how do we know that? just look at the cross,dear Christian this is the moment for you to pray and say as you forgive me, so I will forgive that person who has hurt me.

Hope ( Psalm 42)

 Spurgeon said,'Hope itself is like a Star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity,and only to be discovered in the night of adversity'. When difficulties arise I turn to God in prayer,when a young lady recently told me about her problems,I said, let us have a little word of prayer.When a man in the church told me about a procedure he was going to have in hospital,I said I would pray for him. When I witness I remember that person in prayer,why am I saying this? to be boastful ? no, I am reminding myself and reminding you to look beyond ourselves to God. Romans 4 v 18 reads ,'Even when there was no reason to hope,Abraham kept hoping- believing that he would become the father of many nations'. I like those words ,'Abraham kept hoping', My son who knows a bit of Spanish ,said that in Spanish  the word hope and wait,mean practically the same .

                                                                    Psalm 43v 1

                                                         'Why am I discouraged?

                                                          Why is my heart sad!  

                                                           I will put my hope in God!

                                                           I will praise Him again-

                                                            my Saviour and my God'

He had not changed.( 2 Corinthians 5 v17)

 'We are all going to need a lot of forgiving on our way to our final rest',(B Webb/BST),it was written about Christians,that may sound strange,but the fact is,as Christians we still sin,in word,in thought,and in deed. That is a fact that cannot be denied, a certain famous Christian said I'm not a sinner,even though the Bible says,''If we claim to be without sin,we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us''(1 Jn 1v8) We must remember that,but John does not stop there in chap 3 v 6, we read,' No one who lives in  Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him'.It is John Stott who writes the following,'It is not the isolated act of sin which is envisaged, but the settled habit of it, indicated by the verb poiei ,to do or to practice'. In v9 we read,'No one who is born of God will continue to sin', again we turn to what J/ S writes ,'' He is not able to sin habitually''.If there is no permanent change in a person's life,and they persist in their sinful ways,then they are not Christians.I knew someone  who was a abuser,sent to prison ,professed to be saved was baptised,but it was obvious he had not changed.

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Have you a hero? (John 13 v 37 -38)

My son Brian  spoke of the man who was his hero,and so now in a sense he is villian,he has fallen of his pedestal I think it's a foolish thing to put someone on a pedestal and call them your hero.I'm sure many people put king David on a pedestal,by all acconts he was a good looking person,he was very brave,won many battles,and so we could go on ,yes he was a very great man,but then he fell of his pedestal.Take Lord Nelson ,a very brave man,he won so many battles,but he fell of his pedestal,he committed adultery,with Lady Hamilton.Putting people on a pedestal and making them your hero is leaving yourself open, to disapointment.It may seem that I'm being cynical,I'm not, I have friends and I love them,and I admire them,but they are not my hero's,I don't put anyone on a pedestal.When Peter was talking to our Saviour ,he looked at John and he said,what about him?,and Jesus said ,'You must follow Me' (John 21 v 21-22),and in Hebrews 12v2,we are told to 'fix our eyes on Jesus'.If we do that we will never go wrong,we will never be disappointed.

Choose. (John 21 v 21-22)1

In John 6 v 66 we read,'From this time forth many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him'.They did this because they misunderstood something Jesus said,people turn back from following Jesus  for many reasons,the list is endless . My son Brian tells in his book ,'Be Still' how a friend and him went through a time when they were let down by a particular leader in his church.They were disappointed and disillusioned, it was someone they admired ,but he had done somethings that was wrong,Brian said he was his hero ,he waned to be like him,but he let him down,they were both in a crisis of faith.Brian phoned his friend one evening to ask him how he was,he said,'Sometimes I sit on the end of my bed and think is this all worth it,and then I choose to believe. Sometimes Brian,we just have to choose to believe even if we don't feel like it'.

Honesty the best policy ( Numbers 32 v23 )

I found ten pounds recently lying on the floor of a shop,so I was faced with a decision,do I keep it?,after all it's only ten pounds.but I handed it into a worker ,who reported it to her superior,and that was it.Not really I shared with  the shop worker how there time in the past when I had little money,if I would find money I  would hand into the local police station  I knew if it wasn't claimed in a certain time it would become mine,I must confess I hoped no one would claim it,times were hard. I do believe honesty is the best policy, after all on one has to live with one's self,and who wants a guilty conscience?I remember reading about Maria ,Hudson Taylor's wife, in case you don't know Hudson founded the' China Inland Mission', it is worthwhile to read about him.Back to Maria she served with her husband in his work.She died aged 33 of Cholera,one the things she said before she died,that there was nothing between her and God.What she meant was,that was no sin between her and her God. On confessed sin even in the believers life ,it will not affect your standing before God,but it will affect your relationship with Him.So what's the answer? well it is John who tells us,'If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness'.( 1 John 1 v 9 )

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