Money (1 Timothy 6 v 10) 2

Let us continue to consider Agur and his prayer for God to help him and keep him from his evil weaknesses, he highlights falsehood and lies,but he doesn't stop there,he goes on to mention the following.'give me neither poverty nor riches,but give me only my daily bread (NLT . Give me just enough to satisfy my needs) Bridges comments on 'give me not riches',is scarce the prayer of one in ten thousand'.I have a friend who worked in a major bank in London,he was asked to go and speak to someone who was higher up in the bank.he made his way up in the lift to the floor the person was on,when he arrive he noticed how luxurious everything was.so he went into the persons office.The man dealing with him was offering him promotion to a far better paid job,in fact it would make his present salary look like pittance.My friend asked him what it would involve,well one of the things he was told was he would have to be pepared to work till ten in the evening.My friend mention about his family,and he was told that was part of the job,in the end he did not accept the job.Later on he was told a higher up person said he was a fool.'Agur could see the pitfalls of riches, my friend could,people sell their souls for money,people become a slave for money,and pay a cost as regards their family and their relationship with God.

Be honest ( Romans 7 v14ff)1

 There are three very important verse's that we should all read Proverbs 30 v7-9 the writer highlights two things in his prayer to God ,the first one reads,'keep falsehood and lies far from me'This chapter of the book of Proverbs was not written by Solomon but by  a man called Agur,he is very honest about himself ,v2 -3 he acknowledges his fallen condition,he is a man of God but he is still in a body flesh which we all are,so when  we come before a holy God there must be honesty. Next he recognises his need for God to help him to overcome his weaknesses,so he prays to God and he asks two things of God,first that God would keep him from 'falsehood and lies,keep them far from me he cries. He is so conscious that he could yield to such things,we all without acceptions if we are honest have things in our lives in which we could easely yield to,sinful things.Our Saviour knows that,and so he taught us to pray,'And lead us not into tempation,but deliver from evil,'(some translations have the evil one.)We are not meant to face evil or the evil one on our own,so let us pray continually for God to help us.

Love is a battlefield. (John 3 v16)

 Someone said ,'Love is a battlefield', people for love of country have died on the battlefield,many who answered the call of  God,in love laid down their lives  for the souls of sinners.Bringing up Children is a big challenge especially when the children are difficult and the relationship becomes like a battlefield, why do they they stick with that child ? the reason, they love him.Some marriages  can be difficult,but the couple battle on why? because of the love they have for each other. Christian G. Rossette wrote,'Love came down at Christmas',yes the Son God came into a world contaminated sin by and it was a battlefield of love from the word go,one long battlefield. The final battle took place on a cross ,where Satan and all his forces fought to keep captive hell bound sinners under their control,but love won the battle through Jesus, yes love won the battle.

                                                         'Such love,pure as the whitest snow;

                                                          Such love, weeps for the shame I  know;

                                                           Such love,paying the debt I owe;

                                                            O Jesus,such love.

                                                                   Words G Kendrick

When God says no ( Exodus25 v 9)

He was one the greatest prophets,the one who challenged Pharaoh,Moses,and yet he had his failings,we read about it in Numbers 20 ,Israel had fallen on hard time and were complaiming as they usally did. They  were in the wilderness and there was no water,So they went and quarrelled with Moses,so Moses took the problem to the Lord,the lord  told him to speak to the rock,and water would come out. This was the second time this had happened  Cp Ex 17 v1-7.there Moses was told to strike the rock with his staff.But the second time he was told to speak to the rock, they got the water but God was not pleased with Moses for instead of speaking to the rock he struck it with his staff. When God tells us what we must do,we must do it exactly as He said.Moses left God out of it,one writer says,'he acted out of bitterness and failed to see things God way'Israel got their water ,but Moses was told that he would not lead the people into the promised land.This pained him greatly and later on he tried to get God to change his mind, after all he was Moses,but God is no respecter of persons, if God says no He means it.

Keep on knocking (Luke 18 v1ff)

In Matthew 7 v 7 our dear Saviour speaking as regards praying said the following,'Ask and it will be given to you;seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you'.A Jewish Rabbi said the loveliest things about prayer,'God is as near to his creatures as the ear to the mouth''Human beings can hardly hear two people talking at once,but God,if all the world calls to him at the one time, hears their cry' We need to hear that, God cannot be crowded out,he hears your faintest cry, and he deligths to hear his children come to him in prayer.Now let us think about this verse,were there are three things stressed.'Ask,Seek,knock'.in relation to your prayers, it is stressing that we should not give up,in Luke 18 v1 Jesus tells a parable to show that we should always pray and not give up.A widow came to a judge for justice,he neither feared God nor cared  what people thought.He kept putting her off,but in the end she would not give up,and in the end he saw to it that she got justice .God is not like that judge he gladly hears our prayers,and will answer them according to his will,but  we need to be persistent,we should keep knocking on heavens door,could be he wants to test our faith,so don't give up.

Meaning ( Mark 8 v34-37)

 Charles W.Colson  a 'Attorney and former White House Counsel,became known as President Nixon's hatchet man,was sent to prison for his involvement in the Watergate scandel.But the good news he came to know Jesus as his Saviour,he later became the founder of ''Prison Fellowship'' ministeries.He had a very successful law firm,at the peak of his power he said,'I found the good life empty and meaningless.He goes unto say,'What do you do when the party is all over? In our heart of hearts,all of us understand that there has to be something more to life than money and fame.We have to see these counterfeits for what they are- fool's gold'.

Love (1 Corinthians 13)

1 Corinthians 13 is one of  the most beautiful yet challenging passages in the Bible,the first three verse stresses that no matter what gifts we gifts we have be it in speech ,gift of being able to prophecy,or faith that can move mountains.Or are very generous in giving, or give my body to be burnt at the stake,it is all pointless if we do not have love.v4-6 It goes on to describe the qualities in love,'Love  is patient William Barclay describes it as being patient with people not patient with circumstances. Recently I visited a Christian whose wife has dementia ,and noticed how patient he was with her.it should be for all of us,that we manifest patence as  W B writes 'we must exercise the same patience as God exercises with us'.The last one we will  look at is kindness , Christians above all people should be kind,Philip the second of Spain was very religious yet he founded the Spanish Inquisition,again  WB writes 'So much of Christianity is good but unkind'This world needs more than ever kind people,we should as Christians be at the head of the queue.

Pierce my ear' ( Exodus 21 v 5)

In Deuteronomy 15 v12-18 we read that if a person had fallen on hard times,he  could sell himself  as a slave for six years to someone.It was God who laid out the terms,he said on the seventh year they had to be released.It was not an oppressive thing it was a means of helping people through hard times. When they were released the master of the slave had to give the slave a generous farewell present. Raymond Brown writes,'The servant must be allowed to leave his masters house in style''.It was a very fair system,there was no abuse involved,but say the person did not want to leave,because he loved his master, he had to submit himself to a simple ceremony of being taken to a door and having his ear pierced a sign of willing submission. Steve Croft wrote a song applying it to our relationship with God,it was called ,' Pierce my ear.'

                                                           'Pierce my ear,oh, Lord, my God

                                                           Take me to your door this day

                                                            I will serve no other God

                                                            Lord ,I'm here to stay.

                                                            For you have paid the price for me

                                                            With your blood  You ransomed me

                                                             A free man I'll never be.'

                                                         

How ( Isaiah 46 v 4)

 In Deuteronomy 29 v 5 - 6Think  reads 'During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness,your clothes did not wear out,nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink.I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God'.Israel was rescued out of slavery,the journey to to the promised land would take 40 yrs,it should have taken much less than that, but because of their unbelief they were punished  . Yet in the end, God brought them through  into the promised land,God carried them as it were on eagles wings.I am 82 for 62 yrs God has carried me through,yes it is God who brought me through. and he is the one who has brought you through.The hymn writer wrote, Through many dangers,toils,and snares I have already come,'How? by Gods grace,He has brought us through, He will not change ,He will bring us through all out tomorrows He will continue to bring us through ,for He has said  ,'Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you',( Hebews13v 5)

Imagine ( Matthew 7 v 7-8)

A team of people were involved in personal evangelism ,and one of the spoke to a young man we will call him John.Later the evangelist returned to the team and he told them about John,and he said I would love to talk to John again,and at that moment there was a knock on the door and it was John,He said he wanted to talk to the evangelist about Jesus.There is verse in Isaiah 65 v24 which reads,'Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear'.God  knows all things he knew what the evangelist said,and what he desired, Psalm 37 v 4, reads,'Take delight  in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart'.What are the desires of your heart?,are they in keeping with the will of God,the evangelist desire was,for we read that God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth' (1 Timothy 2 v 4).But let me just say God knows the best time to answer our prayers,sometimes it is instant ,sometimes it is wait.But rest assured His ear is opened as regards our prayers to Him, and if it is his will He will grant our request.

Love ( Matthew 10 v 37)

We often hear the words ,'I love',it can apply to many things,in fact the list is endless,take smoking there are people who love smoking inspite of the fact that smoking can kill.People love gambling but it can lead to disaterous consequences,yes there are so many things  we love that can harm us.Eve fell in love with the forbidden fruit, think of the awful problems that caused.People love sex to a point that they can become enslaved to so many depraved things.Love of one 's country is fine yet many people have done awful things for the country they  love.Think of the awful things people do out of love for their religions .Are you a slave to that kind of love,the God we worship ,that is the God of the Bible is a God of love,his is true love. It is also a holy love,it means that He does not ignor evil,he will judge the wicked,for he is a righteous God.We read in Exodus 34 v7 that He is compassionate and forgiving,but He will not by any means clear the guilty'.He has out of a heart love provided a way for us to be saved through his son Jesus.

Life. ( Acts 16 v 30-31)

 Shakespear wrote of the,'The seven ages of man',it compares the world to a theater and life to a play.that every human acts out seven roles,a crying infant,a reluctant schoolboy, a romantic lover,a wise judge,a frail old man,and finally,an infantilized elder facing oblivion'Then we have another way of looking at life ,'The seasons of our lives',someone describes it as beautiful metaphor comparing human experience to the changing year,'Spring  brings freah starts and youth,Summer a timeof passion and growth,Autumn represents maturity and reflection,Winter rest or navigating struggles'.What one do you like? Moses who lived to a 120,wrote the follow as regards  our exsistence,'Our days may come to seventy years,or eighty,if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow;for they quickly pass,and we fly away.'All of us will experience some degree of trouble and sorrow,some more than others,some longer than others,so that's it?,no.Moses speaks about flying away.our soul  leaves our body but where does it go to? the question is this where will we spend eternity?,for your soul does not die,will it be heaven or will it be hell?were will spend etenity?You most cetaintly will go to hell if your sin is not forgiven,it is as simple as that.But you can go heaven if you seek forgivness by trusting Jesus,  its as simple as that.

A promise box ( 2 Peter 1 v 4)

I was going through a drawer and I found a promise box,I must have it about 50 years, some people are critical of them.There was a time when finances were low or non exsistented ,and we were looking for guidance as to what we should do.I would  go to that little box and pull out a promise praying that God would speak into our situation.I can't remember any particular promise I got. But I had a daily devotional which I still read called ,'Daily Light', it is just full of scripture,and I found it very helpful,God  often did  speak to me from it. I  looked through the promise box,and read one,and it took me back years ago when I heard a missionary who had just come home from Nigeria.He told that during the civil war he was  very concerned for his safety,he had a headace and he felt that he should take some tablets,but then God spoke ,it was that  promise I got from my promise box,it read,' The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them'  (Psalm 34 v7) He felt a peace, he didn't take the tablets ,he lay down and slept'

No compromise. ( Luke 4 v18 -20)

 In Matthew 12 v30 and Luke 11 v23,Our dear Saviour said,' Whoever is not with me is against me',Jesus is telling us that there is no middle ground one cannot have a foot in one camp,and a foot in another camp.Jesus demands total allegiance there is no common ground,no grey areas.We must make  that very clear to  everyone,consider what said Jesus ,'I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through  me'.John 14 v6. It is not a matter of intolerance,we have to show a degree of tolerance toward others,of other cultures,and religions, but we will never compromise on the  truth that Jesus is the only one that can save sinners.We will see all other religions  as false,for they worship other god's who are not god's.We must learn to live with each other help people were they need help,and love them.We cannot march under the same banner as non Christians,and we should always try to win them to Christ,in a loving way, no one should be forced to become a Christian.We must be sold out to Christ alone ,not Christ plus.

Wrong thoughts ( Genesis 39 v 11)

I'm sure that everyone has wrongs thoughts,so what does one do when one has wrong thoughts?.I believe the first thing we should do is to pray.Acknowledge them to God be honest,one cannot hide them from Him. Often we put ourselves in danger by what we look at, for Eve it was the forbidden fruit Genesis 3 v 6, Achan it was the forbidden plunder, Joshua 7 v 21,David it was the forbidden women 2 Samuel 11 v 2.Each of these people had a choice ,they all knew that it was wrong, the wrong thoughts took over, and instead of praying for victory,they ran full pelt into  sinful actions and yielded to temptation.We must run away from our sinful impulses, don't linger over them,don't try and rationalise the wrong actions we may take.Horatio R. Palmer wrote a well known hymn,the first line goes , 'Yield not to temptation,for yielding is sin',take those words to heart.

                                                         'Ask the Saviour to help you,

                                                          Comfort ,strengthen,and keep you;

                                                           He is willing to aid you,

                                                            He will carry you through.'

Keep focused ( Acts 15 v 36-41)

In sport one of the most important things you must do is keep focused,don'take your eye of the ball.This is also one of the most important things you must do when you become a Christian ,keep focused on Jesus.I remember a number of years ago going to a show in London,it was a musical.During the performance a lady near me,made all sorts of  distracting noises,but I just kept focused on the show.I know a number of people who don't attend a Christian fellowship anymore,The reason usually is someone has hurt them ,and it makes me very sad,I do pray for them,nor do I judge them.Meeting with fellow believers is very important in Hebrews 10 v 25 we read,'Not giving up meeting together, as some are in habit of doing,but encouraging one another'. I know from my own experience one can be hurt by fellow Christians,I have been hurt ,very hurt, but I have to have a forgiving spirit,but to add to that I must keep my eyes on Jesus. Look at the many people who hurt Jesus even before the cross,even his own disciples,but He kept focused on doing the Fathers will. 

                                                          

                                                    'Remember we are not following people

                                                     we are following Jesus'

False God's (Matthew 5)

It is said that someone gave Stalin a copy of Machiavellions book 'The Prince' it was written for people who rule as to how to rule. One of main things it highlights,that they must rule 'for the greater good '.Stalin was one of the most evil people one could find.He appeared to take pleasure in  inflicting terrible suffering on millions of people.His sole aim was to establish communism his followers had the same aim.One man has called communisn a false God.There have been many false God's in this world,Naziism, false religions in which there are many. Where such false gods are followed  their followers committ terrible evils.What about Christianity,the evil's that have been perpetrated by so called followers of Christ,the fact is that many so called followers of Christ have misrepresented Christianity,to torture people,slaughter people is totally wrong.The challenge for those who claim to know Jesus as their Saviour,should be a true reflection of whom Christ is.

Saved . (Jude 24)

 Someone has said as regards salvationt there are three aspects of  it,' We were saved; we re being saved;and we will be saved'. We look back an remember there was a moment in time,when we trusted Jesus to be our Saviour. Adgar M.Pace,wrote a song,here is one of the verses,'I can tell you the time,I can take you to the place,When the Lord saved me by His wonderful grace,'Paul the apostle could point you to the place were Christ saved him,read about it in Acts 9,it was so dramatic,he would never forget .We are all saved in the different places,the place is not imporant,what is  important that you have trusted Jesus to forgive your  sins and to be your Saviour. Next we are being saved,what does that mean?  well on our journey to glory the Christian life brings may challenges,we will face many temptations and difficulties our responsability is to press on,not to gave up,sometimes we feel like that,don't despair we are told ,we are kept by the of God unto salvation ( 1 Peter v5 NKJV) Jesus said,' I gave them eternal life,and they shall never perish;nbut rememo on will snatch them out of my hand  (John10 v28). Last but not least,we will be saved, yes we will be saved by God's grace.

Mother's Heart. ( Ephesians 2 v 10)

In many countries Christians hospitals, schools,orphanages and a mulitude of other organisations are doing so much good in this world.Let me tell you about one other called'Mother's heart',it is in Cambodian it was founded by an Australian aid worker called Katrina Gliddon.Young women find themselves pregnant and have no support whatsoever,some have been abused.Many of those dear girls are very young and poor.Mother's Heart is led by a team of Cambodians.This is what they say'We exsist to be the hands and feet of Jesus; to love without condition,stand without judgement,and walk alongside women and girls facing one of the most  vulnerable moments of their lives'Im sure we all need to take to heart this ministry and the challenge it brings to all of us'

                                                    'If I can help somebody as I pass along,

                                                     If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

                                                     If  I can show somebody that he's travelling wrong,

                                                     Them my living shall not be in  vain'

                                                                 Words by Alma Hazel Androzzo.

                                           .

The sainthood of every believer ( Jude 3/14)

Deuteronomy 7v 6  reads ' For you are a people holy to the Lord your God', these words were spoken to  Israel by Moses.Raymond Brown points out,'They are not urged to become holy,they are already holy....Israel's holiness is an act of God,not an act of man (They must be what they are)Likewise  Christian sanctification begins not with what we do but with what God has done'.In the New Testament the name for Christians is saints,theAV uses the word saint a lot  'Romans 1 v7,the NIV uses the words God's holy people,'Philippians 1 v 1.'this means that every Christian has been set apart,utterly dedicated to Christ. Raymond Brown writes,'Believers are not to became saints;they are saints,and then he adds,'They too must be what they are' Unfortunaately like so many Biblical truths the Roman Catholic Church has brought so much confusion into the meaning of saints.

                                                                 

Heed the warning (2 Thessalonians 1 v7-9)

 Throughout history,affluence has often led to spiritual indifference and moral carelessness'.I look around me and I see affluence everywhere. Street lined with cars,household filled with so many things.The majority people have more than enough to eat ,our health service may be struggleing,but a vast number of people are served well by it.I could go on.There is nothing wrong with prosperity,but how many raise a voice of thanks- giving to almighty God? ,not many.Even if people may acknowledge there may be a God they are spiritually indifferent and morally careless,The doors of their hearts are firmly shut,with a notice on in it which reads ,'don't disturb'. Im Matthew 24v 36ff  our Saviour said,'As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of man. for in the days before the flood,people were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, up to the day of Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about about would happen until the flood came and took them away. This is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man'.The apostle Paul tells in 2 Thessalonians 1 v 7ff ,This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed  from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our  Lord Jesus'.

                                                           '

Not a change for the better ( Ephesians 5 v3-7)

 The times they are a changeing,I buy the times newspaper every Saturday,and I have read articles on peoples sexual behaviour,the latest one is about a cruise ship that caters for sexual deviants.I found it very sad how distubed these people are,anything goes, it was the Rolling Stones who sang a song with the words,'I can't get no satisfaction,Gonna Try,and I try ,and I try'.The pleasure one gets  from sex is not lasting but for many it's all consuming.Joy Davidman wrote, nobody  can reaonably expect  happiness from an insatiable appetite.God granted us the gift of sex so there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is the gift has taken over peoples lives,in an unhealthy way.Marriage for many is an after thought.We must remember God is a moral being who expects his people to abide by his morality,to go against His morallity is a sin that does not just mean sex,read the 10 commandments 

How could He love me.? ( Ephesians 2 v1 -10)

 We speak of  the Old Covenant Israel being God's special people,and they were,so why did He choose them? In Deuteronomy 7 V 7-8 we read,'The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,but it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors'It ws not their choice it ws God's choice,Raymond Brown writes,'It was not that God lacked compassion for other nations or cared nothing for them......He deliberately chose Israel...to be a special instrument of his purposes in the world'His purposes was and is redemptive.Once that redemptive  purpose was fulfilled in Jesus the call for the new covenant went beyond that of a nation but to evangelise the world (John 3 v16/Acts1 v 8)We Gentiles who are now part of  the new covenant Israel but there was nothing good in us,Christ died for the ungodly He loved us while we were still sinners,not because we loved Him, but that He loved us.(1John 4 v 10)

                                                           'I stand amazed in the presence

                                                            Of Jesus the Nazarene.

                                                            And wonder how He could love me,

                                                            A sinner,condemmed, unclean.'

                                                                    Words  C H.Gabriel.

Dangerous divergence (Matthew 6 v 19 - 24)

 In Deuteronomy 5 v32 reads,'So be careful to do what the Lord your God  has commanded you;do not turn aside to the right or to the left',how people need to hear these words.Let me illustrate something from 'Pilgrims Progress',Christian is on his journey to the celestual land,he had a companion with him called Hopeful. As they journeyed they met a person called Demas who shouted out to them;'Turn aside!There's a silver mine here!With very little trouble,you'll be rich.' When gold was discovered in 1896 in Canada in Klondike gold fever took over and 100,000 people joined the gold rush,some succeeded,but many didn't.Back to Christian and Hopeful,Hopeful when he heard said ,'Let's go and see he said hopefully,but Christian  said he wasn't going ,for he had heard of that place,and it was dangerous' thankfully Hopeful listened to Christian ,and on they wemt on their journey .Let us listen to godly friends instead of rushing on into trouble and bringing our soul into mortal danger ,don't turn aside for anything.

Our Faher (Matthew 6 v 9)

When Egerton first preaced to the native Americans in Saskatchewan,the idea of the fatherhood of God  fascinated people who had hitherto seen God only in the thunder and lightning and the storm blast. An old chief  said to Egerton Young,'Did I hear you say to God''Our Father''?' I did',said Egerton Young.'God is your Father? asked the chief.'Yes',  said Egerton .'And', continued the chief,he is also my Father? 'He certainly is,'said Egerton. Suddenly the chiefs face lit up with a radiance. His hand went out,'Then', he said with the tone of someone making a dazzling discovery,'you and I  are brothers'.

                                                                'Behold, what manner of love

                                                                the Father hath bestowed upon us,

                                                                that we should be called the sons

                                                                of God' ( 1 John 3 v1)

Lest I forget ( Psalm 62 v10)

Are you forgetful I am,its not deliberate,there is nothing I can do about it,but it does concern me,in Deuteronomy 6 v10 ff,Moses was instructing God's people.He reminded them thatGod had promised the land to His people,in fact he swore an oath to Abraham,Isaac,and Jacob that the land would be theirs,it took a long time to bring it into being.God always keeps His word,and although it tarry it will happen,has God promised you something, He has not forgotten his promise to you.You can imagine how excited the people were,their own land, no more being slave in a foreign land.Yet although that is true the Land ultimately beglongs to God,they were but the tenants.Everthing we have from God is just loaned to us,and we will beheld accountable as to our stewardship.Moses tells how they will prosper in this land,in light of that warns them,to not forget that the Lord brought them out of Egypt,out the land of slavery,what he has said  needs to repeated to us all,when you prosper don't forget Calvary.

Your prayers (Colossians4 v2-6)

Often when I visit people,and they share things with me, difficult things,I don't have the answer,the problems are beyond me to solve. Before I leave them I usually pray with them but I assure them of my ongoing prayers for them.I read this recently,'We must spend time with people in order to to understand their problems,and to spend time with God in order to solve them'.So often we fail to do that and we spesk unadvisable to people.Most of us need more wisdom in dealing with people,and also praying for them,we must take prayer very serious,never underestimate the importance of your prayers,let us realize more and more that our prayers can make a difference whatever it may be for.When we say to a person that we will pray for them,let us mean it.I read something recently in one of my daily devotional,it was about Fanny Crosby,'She told of a time when she had run out of money ,and needed five dollars,there was no time to call upon her pubishers,so she simple prayed for the money.Later on that day a friend called,they had a nice time together,but as she was leaving,her friend pressed something into her hands,it was a five-dollar bill.When her friend left,she got on her knees and thanked God'.Out of that experience she wrote that lovely hymn.

                                                        'All the way my Saviour leads me;

                                                        What have I to ask beside?

                                                         Can I doubt His tender mercy,

                                                         Who through life has been my guide?

Nothing hidden (2 Samuel 11 v 27)

 There was an entertainer called Dan Leon he was considered the funnst man in all the earth,yet Marie Lloyd a well known entertainer  said this about him,'Ever seen His eyes?the saddiest eyes in the whole world'.I think about Judas Iscariot it appears that none of the disciples had an inkling that he was going to betray Jesus,they knew that he was a thief (John 12 v 6) .Those three and a half years he followed Jesus, the seriousness what he attended to do was hidden from them, but not from Jesus ( John 13 v18ff) He knows all about us the hidden man,and our hidden motives. We read that Adam and Eve hid from the Lord,you cannnot hide from Him . Think how many murders have not been solved,we dont who did them,but God does,and all will be revealed in a coming day.Our Saviour said ,'For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed,and nothing concealed that will not be brought out into the open.(Luke 8 v17)You may have thought that you got away with whatever,not so.the great judgement day is coming, there is no escape from it,but we can escape the consequenes,by confessing our sin and asking Jesus to forgive us,and to be our Saviour

Stop your wandering (Luke 15 v 11ff)

 Before Isreal were about to enter the promise land,Moses spoke to them we read about it in Deuteronomy which means'second law' '.It is not another law but rather a faithful repetition and more detailed amplication of God's word that was given at Sinai'(The Bible speaks today)In  chap 4 v9,  Moses says ,'Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live'. 'He knows that,in their prosperity,they will quickly forget Him;only  adversity will bring them to their senses.When they have everything,they ignore the God who has filled their hands with innumerable blessings.Only when they have nothing will they value what they have lost.Despite the warnings, they will forget God; (Jer 2 v11- 13) yet despite their sins,He will not  forget them.Even when we forsake God,He does not fail us'. (B S T)  

                                                    'When I would  wander from the path astray,

                                                      Then He will draw me back into the way'

                                                                        'Words  Leonard Weaver'

Suffering and sin. (John 9 )

 In John 9 we read how our Saviour and His disciples came upon a man blind from birth,and his disciples asked the Lord,'Who sinned,this man or his parent,that he was born blind' and the Lord replied ,'neither this man or his parents',There was a reason the disciples asked that question, here was a man blind from birth,it appears some Jewish theologians  had a stange notion of prenatal sin,in other words he sinned in the womb.so Jesus cut across that thought.What about his parents ? Jesus cut across that thought also.It is interesting that Hindu and Buddhist religions believe in moralistic cause and effect,that an individual is personally culpable for their current station in life,whether incurred in this life or one previous.I heard a young who had cancer being told that the reason he has cancer, was because he had sin in his life.I know that sin can cause us suffering because it has conquences.But this does mean in anyway that we have sinned,it does not mean that because one is born in poverty,dire circumstances disabilities etc,that it is beause we have sinned.,not so.But as regards sin we all sin everyone of us, yes that blind man was a sinner nothing to do with his blindness,Jesus did heal him of his blindness ,and even greater news,as a sinner he trusted Jesus as his Saviour,why don't you do that .

More ( Luke 12 v15)

A poet called Horace who lived in the early period of the Roman Empire, said ,'We are just statistics,born to consume resources'.I think it is so true,we live in a consumer society, yes even as Christians,But is that all we are ,statistics? we read of our Saviour,who became poor,He chose the opposite way than most of us. Do we really  believe the poor are blest?,or that it is more blessed to give than receive ,is our Christian life costing us anything? We recently sang a hymn in church  with these words in it,'Take my silver and my gold,not a mite would I withhold;'I thought,do I really mean that,?Did a slight shudder go through the congregation did they really think  about what they were singing.?Im not taking the high ground,but I don't want be a statistic ,born just to consume goods,our Saviour does not want us to be like that.It is something we must think and pray about.

Leprosy ( Isaiah 1 v18)

When I think about Leprosy ,which I rarely do,I relagated it to the Bible ,we read about the laws on Leprosy in Leviticus 13 ff,and how God said it should be controlled v45-46.'Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes,let their hair be unkempt,cover the lower part of there face and cry out,Unclean! Unclean! As long as they have the disease they remained unclean.They must live alone;they must live outside the camp'. It is known as Hansen's disease,and it is thought to be transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth,it is very contagious.I read this  recently in South and South-East Asia,about 200,000 new cases are diagnosed annually,yet there are millions as yet undiagnosed. The good news is it can be treated successfully, a drug was discovered in 1944 ,it was improved in 1981 so it can effectively cure this awful disease.Before that there was no cure,it developed slowly,and gradually ravaged the body.No one would dare touch a leper,or go near a leper,but in Matthew 8 v1-4,Jesus did, and when He did. the leper was healed.Michael Green writes, 'Never has there been a condition that so illustrated the spiritual condition of humankind. For sin is a terrible disease that seperates us from God,' there is no human cure, the one who healed the leper is the only one who can deal with sin and its consequences.

                                                 'So men today have found the Saviour able

                                                  They could not conquer passion,lust and sin;

                                                 Their hearts had left them sad and lonely,

                                                 Then Jesus came and dwelt,Himself.within'

He will remember, (Matthew 25 v 31- 40)

 Recently my wife and I were invited with a lot of others to a couples 80th birthdays,we have known then a long time.While we were there I saw a person,who many years ago had treated me to a day up in London.We hadn't to much money at that time,so it was much appreciated,he was a qualified barber so he cut my four boys hair ,free of charge.So I felt I should remind him of that and thank him,I also qouted Rev 14 v13 well part of it ,'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord......for their deeds will follow them'Let me just comment on those words,we may not be given any recognition for the good we do here and now,But God  takes note of our good works and He will reward all we have done, none of  us will loose out  all we have done for him will be  rewarded.

The Crown ( 2 Timothy 4 v 6-8 )

 'Reach for the crown',what crown? it was an advert for Rolex watches,the Rolex has a symbol on it,Rolex wathches are very valuable.But it made me think of another crown we read of  in 1 Corinthians 9 v 24-27,in that passage the apostle Paul contrasts two crowns ,the first was the crown of made laural leafs awarded to those who competed in the Greek games,the next one mentioned is a crown of righteousness which every believer will receive in heaven.Speaking of the first one ,the athletes crown  withers and fades it is a temporal glory.Whereas the other crown represents,'The blessings of heaven that shall be bestowed on the rightous,a crown that is unfading,and eternal. As Christians we have to be careful that we loose sight of  the greater glory that awaits us in heaven,for the temperal glories of earth.

Be filled ( 1 Corinthians 6 v 19 -20)

Ephesians 5 v18 reads,'Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life', the famous evangelist D.L.Moody said'' I need a continual infilling  because I  leak'' he meant that his spiritual  strength ,patience ,and connection to God would drain away over time'.Every Christian has the Holy Spirit we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit ( 1 corinthians 6 v 19,reads,'Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,who is in you,whom you have received from God'When we fill our lives with alcohol  we are hindering the Holy Spirit in our lives,we should not limit that hindering to alcohol,there are many things that can hinder the Holy Spirt,wrong sexual thoughts,sinnning in any way will hinder the Holy Spirit functioning in our lives.So we need to repent continually less we grieve the Holy Spirit,and we need to fill our lives with all those things that are edifying,(Ephesians 5 v 19 -20)

No secondary causes ( Ruth 1 v 16)

W  Barclay wrote the following ,'The Jews knew nothing of secondary causes. We say that certain atmospheric conditions, certain variations in temperature ,certain alterations in atmospheric pressure, certain land and mountains configurations,cause certain things to happen in nature,In  every such case the Jew ascribed it all to the direct action of God. We explain the rain and the wind and the thunder and lightning by bringing forward the scientific causes of them;  the Jew quite simply said,God  sent the rain; God made the wind blow; God thundered; God sent His lightening. In Jewish thought  everything  was described to the direct intervention  of God; we tend to abscribe everything to secondary causes.'

                                                      'With God there are no secondary

                                                                     Causes' 

Old age ( Job 19 v 25 -29)

 I am aged 82 I am still driving, health not to bad,but old age does bring problems, the body wears out,I visite three elderly people today a married couple,the wife has dementia,her husband is very patient with her,he is reasonbly well,but it is a challenge.The other lady is housebound,it is my privilage to visit such people.As I left the residentual place they live in ,I spoke to a resident and he was affected  by the many people who were dying,the fact of the matter is if you live in an elderly residentual place everyone will eventually die,for that  man it was depressing him. The three people I visited are Christians they will die there is nothing can stop that.The word of God is very honest about old age, here is what Moses wrote, 'Our days may come to seventy years,or eighty.If our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble  and sorrow', (Psalm 90 v10)That is a reality for so many ,but the word of God has much to say that's positive,the apostle Paul wrote many things as regards death that it is not end,people will weep over our deaths,but as a Christian go to be with the Lord it will be joy unspeakable full of glory,yes absent from the body and present with Jesus our. Lord.

                                                          'For Christians ,death is just a door

                                                                        into HEAVEN'

                                                   

God leads ( Joshua 1 v 9)

 There was a TV program getting people to tell of the person who changed their lives, who would you choose?Who would I say change my life? , I would say that there are people who have influnced my life,for the better. I look back with thankfulness for so many people who have befriended me,and helped me in life,they have come into my life and then I moved on,and they moved on.Often God brings people into our live for a purpose,my answer as to who changed my life,is very simple Jesus. I supposed one would expect me to say that,I know,but the fact is it's true,for 62 yrs I have been following Christ and during those years many things have happened,I have had many challenges to face,there have been the dark times,difficult times.I have always had of a sense of His presence that He was with me.A sense that in the bad times,the hard times he was there.It is often in looking back we can trace the hand of God in ones life,you see how He shut doors and opened doors and all the time he was leading us on.R A.Hall and J K.Saetvent wrote a lovely song here are some of the verses,

'In shady,green pastures so rich and so sweet,God leads His dear children along,where the water's cool  flow bathes the weary one's feet,God leads His dear children along. Some through the water,some  through the flood,but all through theblood ,some through great sorrow. Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines  so bright,God leads His dear children along.Sometimes in the valley,in darkest of night,God leads His dear children along'.

                                           

We have a choice ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 1 - 10)

 None of us choose the hand that is dealt to us,but we have a choice as to how how we are going to play it out. There are so many things we have no control of,some of the things are  not very nice.Take that phenomenal writer of hymns Fanny Crosby who became blind through a mistake by her doctor,she said the following,'she did not veiw her blindness as a tragedy,but rather as a blessing and a divine gift ,She went as far to say,'if given the choice at birth she would have chosen to be born blind,so that the first face she would see in heaven would be her Saviours'.As one person wrote of her that she was a woman of unwavering faith,and profound contentment'Now of course that was Fanny but what about you,what about me?.Paul gloried in his afflictions,saw it as means of experiencing the grace of God,so that God's power would rest on him. So again I ask the question how are we going to play out the hand that God has given us,?remember we have a choice.

No add on' ,No take aways ( Matthew 7 v 24-29)

''The Word comes first,and with the Word the Spirit breathes upon my heart so that I believe'' ,so wrote Martin Luther.There are three foundational truths of Protestant theology ,they are,'Faith alone,grace alone,and scripture alone'' These are vital declarations which all Christions should hold fast to,to diviate from them  is putting one's soul in a  very precarious position. our Saviour told the story about two house builders,one built his house on rock,the other built his house on sand When the storms came the house built on rock stood firm ,the other one who had  built his house on sand, when the storms came it collapsed.If we start underminng scripture and scripture truths there will be conquences,there are Christian denominations were many of their churches cease to exsist,When the foundation of the church is eroded it will no longer exsist ,the Lord will remove it Cp Revelation 32 v5. 

Stand firm ( Galatians 1 v 6ff)

2 Thessalonians 2 v15 reads 'So then,brothers and sisters,stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed unto you,whether by word or mouth or by letter' It is more important than ever that we stand firm to the teaching of God's word.John Stott mentions  things that can attack our faith(1) opposition,and persecution.(2) false teaching.  (3)Temptation. In this country at this time we are not being persecuted, things may change make no mistake about it.We should not be surprised if we are,but in many lands our dear Christian family are suffering severely,we need to pray for them and help them in any way  we can. Next false teaching,sad to say we have so much of that,and I don't mean just the cults,we must hold fast to God's word,we must not add to it,or take away from it,In Revelation 22 v 18-19,there is a warning given as to the book of Revelation to not add to it or take away from it,I believe this applies to all the Bible.Next we have temptation ,in the Lords prayer we pray lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.Let us remember in Matthew 4v3 the devil is called the tempter,he will tempt you to doubt God's word as he did with Eve,and we know the consquences of that.

Contentment (1Timothy 6 v6)

This world is a driven place,with so many discontented people,so many people want more and more,as a Christian we could learn much from the greatest of the apostles,Paul.He had so much as a Jew,in Philippians 4 he writes of his pedigree, he declares he was a Hebrew  born of the Hebrews,a pure blooded Jew,he  had been educated by the great Hebrew scholar Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law(Acts 22 v 3.Paul was a rising star ,a great future lay ahead of him.,yet he gave it all up,and followed Christ and this meant a life of suffering and deprivation (2 Corinthians 11 v23 -28) One of the great lessons learned in all this was a godly contentment,Philippians 4 v12,he declares ,'I have learned the secret of being content in every situation',what was the secret? v13 I can do everything through Christ  who gives the peace of God which passeth all understanding Philippians  Phil4 v7.and of course the pesence of God with him.

                                                              'The more God fills our lives,

                                                                the more content we will be'.

The smart thing. (Romans 1 v 16)

When  we are growing up we are full of ourselves and we make so many wrong decisions a good name that describes us, ;Smart alec's.take some of the decisions I  made, I drank alcohol ,I was about 15 when  I had my first  drink,alcohol is a poison,it can be very addictive,and has destroyed many lives.One can  do many wrong things when one is entoxicated, we let our gaurd down down,The next thing I did was I started smoking at an early age,most people smoked  in those early days  we were ignorant as to the dangers of smoking  .Your are not smart consuming  alcohol or smoking or so many  things,but the sad thing is,  we act like our first parents did, it seems we have a self distruced button,and so in our blindness we pay the price.62 yrs ago I really did the smart thing,and broke the power of those things that would have  destroyed  me,by Gods grace I trusted Jesus to be my Saviour.                                                                                              

Dependent (Philippians 4 v13)

 Our Saviour said ,'Without me you can do nothing',the point Our Saviour is making,is the need of total dependance on Him.The Lord also said in Psalm 138v8,'The Lord  will perfect that whch concerneth me'. again the Psalmist is saying there must be that utter dependance on the Lord.Spurgeon wrote ,'If we indulge in any confidence which is not grounded on the Rock of ages,our confidence is worse than a dream, it will fall  upon us. and cover us with its ruins,to  our sorrow and confusion'. self confidence is not the answer.Again Spurgeon writes,' Our confidence must not be in what we have done,nor in what we have resolved to do,but entirely in what the Lord will do.'

                                                          ' Being confident of this very thing, 

                                                            that He which have begun a good

                                                            work in you will perform it until

                                                            the day of Jesus Christ'

                                                                      Philippians 1 v 6.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         , 

The most important prayer ( Luke 18 v 9- 14 )

I was out shopping with my wife,I had wandered off when I returned to her, she was having a conversation with a member of the Staff.My wife said we were going on holiday,and the lady said to I suppose you will go of boozing,no I said I don't drink,although I'm not against those who do,I asked her did she know the Lord,she said she prayed everynight ,then I said ,do you know the most important prayer we ever pray? she didn't,so I told her ,God be merciful to me a sinner,I  said why don't you pray that tonight,She said she would,and she thanked me .It may be that you have never prayed that prayer ,why don't you pray that prayer and when you do remember that all forgiveness comes through Jesus.

My blog

 I had a few problems with my blog, that  needed sorted out.Just a little thought as regards my blog it goes all over the world ,if you are a Christian,I would value your prayers,your prayers could make all the difference.Pray that God will guide me in this ministry,I have been doing it for many years,it appears that God has given me a gift to do this.My son and his wife got a book published called ,'A Daily Devotional' by Amozon,it can only be purchased from Amozon.Just a little about myself,I am 82,I am married my wife is called Daphne,I have 5 sons and many grandchildren.I come from Northern Ireland ,and was a full time minister for an number of years.I seek always to be faithful to God's word,so that's a little about myself,so God willing I will continue tomorrow.

Got my ticket (Revelation 20 v 1-8)

  A man was told he had terminal cancer and he had 3 mths to live,and this is what he said,'Praise God my ticket has come through',the doctor who told him was surprised,and asked him meant?.Well the man said ,'Im going home to heaven'and then he went on to say,'No more hospitals for me,no more medicine,no more lonliness,and so he went on telling the benifites that his death would bring,Then he said,I remember as a boy reading Peter Pan,and what he said about dying,''To die will be a awfully big adventure''.and then he quoated a scripture,'Eye hath not seen nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which has prepared for those who love Him',then the man said,it will be wonderful.'

Choosing ( Matthew 6 v 19 -26)

Everyday we make choices,like getting up in the morning,what we have for breakfast,what we wear etc,they are ordinary day by day choices.When I go out for a meal I find it difficult what to choose, I stare at the menu,my wife knows it will be sausage and mash,or fish and chips.In Matthew,Mark,Luke,there is recordered how a young rich ruler who came to Jesus (Luke 18 vff) He wanted to know ,what he could do to inherit eternal life,he was very religious ,he told our Saviour that he had kept the commandments,well said Jesus ,you lack one thing,sell everything you have and give it to the poor,and you ill have treasure in heaven'Then come, follow me'. Now Jesus looked with love on this young man,but unfortionately he loved His money.We cannot serve two masters,sooner or later we have to choose,what's stopping you?

God is Just. ( 2 Chroniclies 19 v7)

'Does the punishment fit the crime'so read  the caption on the TV ,it is in Exodus 21 v 24-25 we read ,'Eye for eye,tooth for tooth,hand for hand,foot for foot,burn for burn, wound for wound,bruise for bruise'.these words are often misunderstood,believing they gave us permission to inflict violence,instead of guidance as regards justice.In  the 16th-18th centuries  a law was introduced  called the,'Bloody Code',the death sentence was passed on those who stole food,or from shops.It is obivious that such a crime was not fit the crime.We must have a justice system but ut must be just,otherwise the system becomes unjust.God is often accused of being unjust when he has cities wiped out,if that is what He did then it is was a just  judgment, we must be careful not to put God in the dock,which  many people do. I read this recently,'The Bible explicity establishes God as perfectly just,fair,and righteous in His character,judgments,and actions. Scripture demonstrates that his justice is foundational to His sovereignty, meaning He cannot act unfairly, ignore sin,or show partiality'.

God of Peace (Colossians 1 v 19- 20)

 1  Thessalonian 5 v 23 reads,'May God himself , the God of peace sanctify you through and through.May your whole spirit,soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I like the term,'God of peace'.God is not at war with mankind,mankind is at war with God,God is for peace,mankind is for war.Look at history,look out at this world,and what do we see wars and conflict.Things could change if they would embrace the Prince of Peace ( Isaiah 9 v6 ) Every time the gospel is preached God is holding out an offer of peace,in Romans 5 v1 we read,'Therefore,since we have justified through faith,we have peace with God  through our Lord Jesus Christ'.'It declares that believers are made right with God  and receive peace,security a permanent standing in His grace and joyful hope for eternal glory' ( From the internet) Again this comes about through faith in Jesus ,when our sins are totally  dealt with at the cross.                                                

There must be a reason ( James 4 v6 )

The apostle Paul was very qualified,very successful,planting churches all over the place,he would have been able to speak,3 languages ,Koine Greek his native tongue in which he wrote his epistles .The next was Hebrew the language of a highly educated Pharisee, and Aramaic the common language of the Jews,In 2 Cor 12  he writes of a unique spiritual experience ,when he was caught up into heaven and heard inexpressible things that no one is permitted to tell.Then he writes of of something else he experienced,he called it a thorn in the flesh.Although he prayed for healing,God said no,and he tells him  the reason, to keep him from becoming proud,but he also was given the grace to bear it. There are very important lessons for us to learn from Pauls experience,the Lord does not afflict us willingly, there is always a reason a loving reason. But the great consolation is, he will give us the grace we need to sustain us.

Give Him the glory( 1 Corinthians 1 v29-31)

 It  Judges 6 Israel were being oppressed by the Midianites and God choose Gideon who would  led an army to overcome thier enemies. that's what  he would have thought,but God had other ideas.The number that came to fight was 32000 ,but God cut the army down to 300. A big cut, but God had his reasons,he knew his people,that if the 32000 had fought and were victorious they they would take the glory.instead of giving God the glory.One hears of so many people who never give God  the glory ,for their success.If we are Christian let us be quick to give glory to God for every success.every victory,every accomplishment.

                                                     'And every virtue we possess

                                                      And every victory won,

                                                      And every thought of holiness

                                                      Are His alone'

                                                            ( Harriet Auber)

Three things, (1Thessalonians 5v 18(b)

 In 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16 - 18  we resd '  Rejoice alway,pray continually.give thanks in all circmstance;for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus'. So here we have three things that God wants us to do ,the first one tells us to 'rejoice always'.Is this not asking too much of us?  no, if we are being spoken to by God to rejoice always .then it to be taken serious. Let us bear in mind that these words are spoken  to the church as a whole.John Stott writes ,'Paul is issuing not an order to be happy but an invitation to worship,and to joyful,worship at that.'There are some wonderfu hymns and many modern songs that do much to bless our services and enhance our lives.  Next we have to 'pray continually',we need and I mean need,to be praying churches and praying individuals.There is so much to pray about,the unsaved,the sick ,the suffering,the ungoing difficulties we all meet with.the sad ,the homeless,to be preserved from so much more.Last but not least ,'Give thanks in all circumstances'again how is that possible? John Wesley was rescued from a fire when he was a young boy,his mother saw as proff of the clear intention of Providence.We like her can look beyond the difficulties to God who will work out everything for His childrens good,even as Piper says,'bitter Providences'. 

Living water (John 4 v 4-30)

'Jesus gave her water that wss not in the well.....She went away singing,and came back bringing ,others for the water that was not in the well'.This is part of a song we use to sing,many years ago,it is based on John 4  where Jesus comes upon a woman who came to draw water from a well.Jesus was tired and thirsty,so he asked her  for a drink of water ,she had drawn fron the well.And so began a wonderful  conversation,she puzzelled why He a Jew should ask water as she was a Samaritan,as the Jews did not  associate  with Samaritans,this is what Jesus said,' If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink,you would have asked him and he would have given you loving water'.She did not understand what Jesus was saying or who he was,bur eventually she would. The natural water keeps us alive,but it will not stop us dying,our dear Saviour spoke of living water,Isaiah 12 v 3 reads ,'With Joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation'So what Jesus was offering  was salvation, if we but turn to Jesus to be saved,we will receive eternal life, (Romans 6 v36).Jesus further contrasted the limitation of natural water,we drink of it but we will thirst again,But the water ( salvation)that he would give her would trully fill the deepest longings of  her soul.

                                                    'Now none but Christ can satisfy,

                                                     

Witnessing ( Romans 8 v 26 a)

'But  you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea and Samaria , and to the ends of the earth'. (Acts 1 v8)These are the last words spoken by Jesus before He went back to heaven.They were addressed to His disciples,but they are for 21st century Christians,in othe words they for you and me .How do you feel about witnessing? does it scare you?,frighten you?.When was the last time you told anyone about Jesus?I suppose you may  say leave it to the professionals.From the moment the Lord restored me to himself I witnessed to people ,I wasn't a  professional. How do I do it? well the answer lies in those last words of  Jesus,'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you'.Remember what Jesus said,'without me you can do nothing',( John15 v5) and that help comes through the Holy Spirit who dwells within all of us.The Holy Spirit dwells in every child of God,not just the charismatic or pentecostal.If you have not the Holy Spirit you would not be a child of God (Romans 8 v 9) That happens when you are born again ( John 3 v 7),we could not live the Christen life ,if the Spirit of God was not in us.So tell them about your experience,ask  the Spirit to help you and guide you,He will'

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We don't know ( Matthew 25 v 1-13)

 One of the things the apostle Paul had to deal with in his letter to the church in Thesslonica,was their concern for those who had died,What had happened to them? Are they alright?shall they see them again?.This was in connection to the coming of the Lord,some say Paul was expecting Christ to come  back in his life time,but there is no real evidence for that.The Lord made it clear that only God the Father knows when Christ will come again,( Acts 1 v7).There are other referances as  regards not knowing when Christ is coming CP Matthew 24 v36-51.What our Saviour taught as regards His coming that we are to live in the light of it, which could happen anytime. Many years ago an elderly believer said to me that the Lord was coming back before he died,dont be fooled by anyone forecasting when He is coming again.The JWs have done this a number of times,we must not be like them,or the believers in 1000 A,D who had as John Stott puts it 'eschological excitement' or 'Parousia hysteria' .

                                                            'Even so,come,Lord Jesus'  

                                                                   Revelation22 v 22..

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Last words (Psalm 23 v 4)

 Often in ages past when a godly man was about to die,people would crowd round to hear his last words,here are a few examples.John Knox,'Live in Christ,die in Christ,and the flesh need not fear death.Dietrich Bonhoeffer,'This may seem to be the end of me,but its just the beginning.John Wesley,'The best  of all, God is with us,farewell,farewell.I turn to my favourite the word of the greatest of the apostles,Paul, he was about to die a martyrs death and this what he wrote I will not comment on them,let them speak for themselves,

                                                          'I have fought the good fight,

                                                           I have finished the race,

                                                           I have kept the faith'

                                                              (2 Timothy 4 v 7)

                                           

Holiness ( Hebrews 12 v14)

 For God did not call us to be impure,but to live a holy life, ( 1Thessalonians 4 v7)what does that men? ,it means living as God wnts us to live,we have to take that very serious.We are not justified by the keeping of the law but we are called to have a moral qaulity to our lives.Paul continually tells us the  means where  by we can be saved,when we trust  Christ ,that should  mean ,repenting of our sins, leaving the old life,in fact dying to our old life.That is what we are declaring when we are baptized,going under the water symbolises dying to our old sinful life,and coming up out of the water symbolises our newness of life. (Romans  6 v 1-4) Peter writing of those who have escaped the corruption of the world when they trusted Christ and  goes back on that ,suffer consquences and likens them unto a  dog retuning to its vomit,and a sow that is washed returning to her wallowing in the mud'( 2 Peter 2 v 20 - 22) Psalm 23 v 3 speaks of being lead in the paths of  righteousness.For the Christian we do not do, what everyone else is doing,no we live the life  that Christ wants us to live,a life of holiness,that is different from the worlds. John writes to the believers telling them if we claim to be without sin we decieve ourselves and the truth is not in us( 1Jn1v8) Yes we will sin at times,bit we will not walk in sin  (1 Jn v18) It was Murry McCheyne who prayed ,'Lord make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be made'

Side affects ( Romans 3 v11 -23)

I started smoking when I was young say about 13yrs ,most people smoked in those days,why did I start smoking? I don't know.I even smoked a pipe when I got older.I remember when I had my first alcoholic drink when I was 14-15yrs ,why ?possible made one feel grown up.With smoking and alcohol there are dangers they can become addictive and cause destructive health problems. I'm sure we all know people  whose lives have been ruined by smoking and alcohol,think how many people have been killed by drunken drivers. On the cigarette pack there are graphic warnings,but still people smoke.Likewise alcohol  is said to be ,'a slow posion;,affecting our liver and can even cause piles, strokes and hullucinations,if it gets a hold of you ,you can literally drink oneself to death.Why do people appear to ignor the warings? but they do. The greatest killer and destuctive thing in the world is sin, not just in the here and now, but in the here after,The word of God teaches us the terrible consquences of sin,our Saviour talked about being a slave of sin (John 8v 34),billions are slaves to sin ,but He also said,'So if the Son sets you free,you will be free indeed (John 8 v36) Do you want to be free from sin and its awful  consquences? ,turn to Jesus.trust Him as your Saviour.

The greatest gift ( 1 Peter 1 v18-19)

 I recently received a lovely birthday present  from one of my sons,an actual painting not a print,while a  print can be lovely,an actual painting has something special about it.I am aged 82 so I have recieved many gifts during my lifetime,cars,books the list could go on.A dear lady left me 500 pound in her will,and when my first wife died a friend sent me some money that helped a great deal,and so I could go on.  Recently I  I told a lady that the most important prayer we can praywas,'God be merciful to me a sinner'.Now let me tell you the greatest gift one can receive is 'The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord' (Romans 6 v23).Consider who gives us this gift,God,why would He give such a gift?the answer is,because He loves us (John 3v16),no one is worthy of such a gift.In Romans5 v8 we read,'But God commendeth His love toward us,in that,while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us'.It is a free gift so many people believe their good works can get them to heaven, they can't  (Ephesians 2v 8-9).None of us deserve it, all we deserve is God's judgement,if we neglect this Gift ,we can expect no mercy,which means we will experience eternal damnation,

No boasting, (Ephesians 2 v8-9)

  Titus 3 v 5 reads,'He saved us,not because of righteous things we had done,but because of unrighteous things we have done, but beause of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.Consider those words as regards salvation,God rules out completly any works of righteousness,any. In Matthew 7 v 21-23,our Saviour tells that on Judgement day there will be those who will call him Lord  and will say they had prophesized,cast out demons,and performed  miracles,in His name,and they will be rejected.What they done was only a cover up,they worked outside the will of God the Father,and were considered evil doers.Salvation only comes  by God's grace when a person truly repents of their sin and seeks Jesus as their Saviour.Matthew Henry writes,'Grace will bring a man to heaven without  working miracles,but working miracles will never bring a man to heaven without grace'. Miracles ,prophesying has nothing to with our salvation absolutely nothing,but grace and mercy has everything to do with it.There will be no boasters in heaven (Ephesians 2 v 9) A hymn by James M. Gray sums it up.

                                                   'Naught have I gotten but what I received

                                                   Grace hath bestowed it since I believed

                                                   Boasting excluded, pride I abase,

                                                   I'm only a sinner saved by grace'

The need is great ( John 4 v 35)

     In Psalm 10 v 4 we read of the wicked,'God is not in all his thoughts'and in Romans 3 v 10 - 11 we read,'There is no one righteous,not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God'.These words  appear very extreme,but there not,Most people keep God out of there lives,I look everywhere and I see how many people are well off ,but I can guarantee,they never thank God for His many blessings.The vast majority of people never thank God for the food they eat,they live lives that God is not allowed to intrude ,there national anthem is I did it my way.When they die  they are taken away to be cremated and there ashes come back in a box.It  may be grim what I am saying ,and it is,no .matter how nice people are they show by their lives ,and actions that they are sinners,and it won't get any better (2Tim 3 v13). What is the answer? God is the answer,who else? only He  can change humanity ,what part as Christians do we play in it,first of all we must recognise that this is a spiritual battle ,and it must be fought using God's mighty weapons,not worldly weapons (2 Corinthians 10 v 4).I'm sure we all as Christians need to repent,to pray,to witness,the need of the hour is great ,mulitudes stand a breath away from Hell. their souls will spend  eternity in an eternal lostness,they need a Saviour that Saviour is Jesus.

When the storm pass-es by. ( Isaiah 43 v1-2)

                                                           'Till the Storm passed By'  (Words by Mosie Lister) 

                                       'In the dark of the midnight  have I oft hid my face,

                                       while the storm howls above me and there's no hiding place;

                                       Mid the crash of the thunder,precious Lord hear my cry

                                                     Keep me safe 'til the storm pass-es  by.

                                        Many times Satan whispered,''There is no need to try,

                                        For there's no end of sorrow,there's no hope by and by!''

                                        But I know Thou art with me,and tomorrow l'll rise

                                                   Where the storms never darken  the Skies.

                                        When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,

                                        Let me stand in Thy presence on that bright ,peaceful shore;

                                        In that land where the temptest never comes, Lord ,may I 

                                                     Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

                                      

                      

Tust in the Lord (Proverbs 3 v 5-6)

I wouldn't want to undermind  your belief in,wait for it,technology,the god of technology, this is a true story.I, had an appointment for the hospital,but I couldn't drive to it, because I was having a procedure done to my eyes  ,so I asked my wife to drive me.She was a bit anxious,she suggested we do a dummy run,so we did,and of course we had the faithful sat nav,we put in the post code,and off we went,we also prayed,so nothing should go wrong.Well we followed its instruction, and we were getting nearer,until things went wrong,it kept taking us round  in a circle,in the end we give up and drove home.Yes technology failed us but did God fail us?,we did pray,so why did we not find our way?,that's were trust comes in,because I know he loves us,I know there must be a reason,don't be quick to judge God,even though you have prayed,and it hasn't happened,just trust Him.I have prayed for many things,I didn't always get what I prayed for,thank goodness,the providence of God is a great mystery.

                                                               'Trust in the Lord'

They were lost ( Luke 19 v10)

My wife is self employed and she works with the elderly,recently she told me,how when she was doing some cleaning in a persons home,she found a gold ring.She took it to the old lady who was delighted, and she said, she had been looking for it for 2yrs.It reminded me of what our Saviour taught in Luke 15,of a shepherd who found a lost sheep,and a woman who found a lost coin,and a father who got back a lost son. He told  this to some very religious people who had criticised Him because he mixed with people who they considered  sinners.Yes they were sinners and indeed  lost sinners,those religious people could only see sinners,to be ostracised,only fit for hell.Jesus could see them as people who needed to be found and brought back to God,how do you look at so  called bad people?do you look at them with the eyes of the religious people?,or with the eyes of Christ?

                                         'O teach me what it meaneth, That cross uplifted high,

                                         With one, the Man of Sorrows,Condemned to bleed and die,

                                          O teach me what it cost Thee, to make a sinner whole;

                                          And teach me, Saviour,teach me, the value of a soul.'

                                                                Words   Lucy A. Bennett.

                                         

Death (Ephesians 2 v 1-10)

 Our Saviour said,' Man shall not live by bread alone,but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' ( Matthew 4v4) He is not saying we shouldn't eat of course we need to eat,our bodies need food.But we are not just a physical being,we have a soul,and that needs fed.Our Saviour always pointed us beyond the physical,when Jesus told a religious leader ,that we need to be born again (John 3 v 3)He thought he was talking about a physical birth,of course he didn't mean that.He meant a spiritual rebirth. Every human being born is without God,in other words we are not connected to God spiritually.When Adam and Eve sinned they died spititually (  Gen 2 v17 /Ephesians 2 v1/ Romans 5 v12) 'Dying is separation from God.That separation occurred the very moment when man by his disobedience broke the bond of love.If physical death ultimately closes the experience,that is not the most serious aspect of the whole affair.The more serious is the inner spiritual separation.(Loupold) After the  commission of sin man stepped upon the road to death'(Oehler )

The church ( Revelation 7 v 9)

Pual and his  companions visited Thessalonica in  AD49 or 50 it is still in exsistence and is the second most important city in Greece. As  Paul often did he went to a Jewish synagogue and there he had opportunity to preach the gospel,a number of the Jews responded,and also a number of God -fearing Greeks and a few prominent women.But is often the case the Jews stirred up a mob and started a riot.It was so bad that the believers sent them away.The Jews  continued to harass them so they moved on,inspite of this a church came into being.In many places in the world today churches are coming into place, in Iran,Nepal,let us remember what Jesus said,'I will build my church,and the gates of Hell will not overcome it'.(Matthew 16 v 18) We live in a world that is opposed to God and his gospel, false religions, atheistic goverments,and so the list goes on.Samuel J.Stone wrote ,'Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed,By schisms rent asunder,by heresies distressed',that is true  but let us rest on the word of Christ,'I will build my church'

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Judging others, ( Matthew 7 v 1-6)

Our Saviour said ,'Do not Judge,this is on a personal level,of course we need Judges in our courts to administer justice.Matthew Henry wrote the following,'We must judge ourselves,and judge our own acts, but we must not judge our brother. We mus not sit in the judgement seat,to make our word a law to everybody.We must not despise him,nor treat him with comtempt.We must not judge rashly.We must not judge uncharitably,unmercifully,nor with the spirit of revenge,and a desire to do mmischief. We must not jufge the hearts of others,nor their intentions,for it is God's prerogative to try the heart. Nor must we judge of their eternal state. William Barclay writes the following,'There is hardly anyone who has not ben guilty of some grave misjudgment; there is hardly anyone who has not suffered from someone else's misjudgment. and yet the strange fact is that there is hardly any commandment of Jesus which is more consistently brokn and neglected'

The human factor. ( Romans 3 v 23/ 6 v 23)

 I love watching sport on TV,I watch golf if Rory Mcllroy is playing,it is wonderful how skilled the top golfer are,yet it amazes me to see them missing a very short put.The next sport I like is snooker ,I used to play it many years ago,now I just watch it on ,yes TV, you see tremendous skill in players potting the balls,but again as in golf,they miss the easiest of balls.Last one is football ,I used to play that when I was young now I'm a couch potato watching it on TV,and like the two previous sports we see players making big mistakes,missing open goals. It raises the question why?,my answer is it's the human factor,that's why those things happen. So it is we are not capable of not sinning,no matter how much we try,there are no sinless people living on planet earth.The nicest people sin ,the most holy people sin,it's the human factor,that is why we need a Saviour,everyone needs a Saviour ,and that Saviour is Jesus,He is the one exception he never sinned,and that is very important,for on the cross he died that our sins could be forgiven,the sinless one dying for sinners.

                                                           'He took my sins and my sorrows,

                                                           He made them His very own;

                                                          He bore the burden to Calvary,

                                                          And suffered ,and died alone. (Words C.H.Gabriel)

Coveting. (Exodus 20 v 3-17)

We don't hear much about the commandments,so it ws good that our pastor chose to speak on one,the last one, 'You shall not covet your neighbour's house.You shall not covet your neighbour's wife,or his mail or female servant,his ox or donkey,or anything that belongs to your neighbour' (Ex 20 v17) I thought I don't want anyone's donkey of course not,but to the people in biblical times a donkey would have been a valuable asset,it still is in some countries.The word anything is in that commandment,so it involves anything that belongs to someone else,it is not only wrong it is a sin,David coveted his neighbours wife and run with that ,and committed adultery, ( 2 Samuel 11),that was two sins Ex 20 v14,and then he had the womens husband murdered ,that's three sin's he committed Ex20 v 13.You may think I can understand adultery,and murder being a sin,but coveting it's only a thought,yes but it's a sinful thought,and that is a sin.Jesus said in Mt 5 v 28,'But I tell you that anyone who  looks on  a woman lustfully has already committed  a adultery in his heart  . Because these commandment are in the OT doesn't mean they don't apply now, they do, all of them,and that is why we need our sins forgiven, and that's why we need Jesus,that our sins may be forgiven.