Pray ( Romans 11 v 28- 32)

 While I was out recently I noticed a family of Jews,I knew that they were Jews,as to their dress and their. wringlets.There are not  many of these Jews where I live,in Northern Ireland there are even fewer, although my Pastor in NI arranged for  a group of  us to visit a synagogue.Well there they  were this family of Jews so I felt led to go and speak to them,no I did not witness to them,just a short conversation,and left it at that.It got me thinking how me a gentile is saved and they are not,I believe the true  Israelites are those who have put faith in the Messiah (Romans 4 v3/16 Galatians 3 v29)That family are Old Covenant Israelites,the Church of Christ is the New Covenant Israelites. When Paul declares that all Israel shall be saved Romans 11 v 26 ,it means very simple that all the elect from the Gentiles and from the Jews will be saved as one people  (Romans 11 v25-26)

                                                       'Pray for the Jews,to be saved'

Our strength (Isaiah 40 v29)

 A quote from the Bible Speaks Today,' True contentment depends on something more than material possessions'. The apostle Paul wrote 'I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.whither well fed or hungry,whither living in plenty or in want' and then he adds. 'I can do all this through him who gives me strength'.(Philippians 4 v 12-13)Consider ,he was writing from a Roman dungeon,cp 2 Corinthians 11 v 23 - 28) Think about what Pauls experience was,to say the least it was grim,yet he speaks of being content.Here is what his secret was?,'I can do all this through him who give me strength'  Can you say what Paul says?,can I ? I would love to think I could,I'm sure if God brings us into situations that are awful,he will if we trust Him grant us the grace we need at that time.

                                                                          'Psalm 18 v1'

                                                             'I  love you,Lord, my strength'

What a terrible mess.( Luke 19 v10 )

I still get great pleasure watching  the old movies starring Laurel and Hardy,such innocent humour, always getting themselves into trouble,and what Oliver used to say to Stanley,'another fine mess you've got us into'. Like Oliver it is easy to blame others,Stanley was not alway to blame,and its easy to blame others for the mess we get ourselves into.Lets go back to the beginning of time to a garden,where two human beings did something awful,they diobeyed God they sinned against God,by their action sin entered into the world by one man,and death through sin,and in this way death came to all people,because all have sinned (Romans5 v12) When God confronted  Adam ,he blamed Eve.and she blamed the serpent (Gen 3 v11-14),they would not take the blame for what they had done,think of the consequences of their actions.As I read history what a mess we have created,and as I look at the world to day,the mess is getting worse and worse,what an awful mess we have made of this world,we can't blame it on God though many try to.No we are the guilty ones,God could have wiped humanity out,but He didn't,instead we read that He so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him,will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3 v16)

Birthdays ( John 3 v 1ff)

 One  of the tasks allotted is to me send birthday cards off to our Children and grandchildren,we have a lot of grandchildren and great grandchilren.Every Christian has two birthdays,a natural birthday and a spiritual birthday. Our dear Saviour said that we must be born again if we are to become citizens of God's kingdom.When we are born naturally we are spititually dead, everyone of us,when sin entered the world the spiritual umbilical cord binding us to God was cut,which means we are no longer connected to God. We cannot have a relationship with Him, it is not that He does not love us,it means that we do not love Him,we cannot commune with him.This means we are in great danger,we can so  easily be drawn into all sorts of wrong things ,wrong reilgions, and become slaves to sin,and there is only one place we are heading for ,that awful place called hell,for all eternity,there is no escape from that, a place of isolation,of utter lonliness and sorrow.But it need not be that way,God is merciful,loving and forgiving. Here is the way you can change all that ,by receiving Jesus as your Saviour (John 1 v 12),acknowledging you are a sinner,and when you do that ,you will be reconnected to God,and all the blessings that will bring.

The school of life ( Psalm 42 v 5)

 I have just read about a young lady  who was dyslexic,it was not until she was in  her teens was it diagnosed .So she had a rough time at school ,she was made to feel she was inadequate,with the result she felt low in esteem.But she did get a job and her boss encouraged her, and she began to look at her dyslexic in positive way,and it empowered in her life to be successful in her buisness which she had started.In the school of life we may find ourselves at the bottom of the heap,not much going for us,we may have been abused, have no friends,and so the list goes on,it's not cheerful reading. You may see yourself as one sitting on a dunghill,because of where your at,and what you have come through.You may be a Christian and feel very negative about yourself,let me remind you,there was time when you were a nobody,but when you trusted Christ you became a somebody,you became a child of God.There is a lovely verse in 1 Samuel 2 v 8 of what God does to those who are sitting on the dunghill,'He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among princes,and to make them inherit the throne of glory'.One person commenting on this verse writes,  'He  puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned out lives with fresh hope,restoring dignity and respect to their lives,a place in the sun'.

Trust Him. ( Romans 11 v33)

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

Sin ( Proverbs 14 v9 )

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

Jesus is divine ( Psalm 110 v1)

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

Fellowship ( John 15 v 34-35)

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

                                                             'Blest be the tie that binds 

                                                             Our hearts in Christian love;

                                                             The fellowship of kindred minds

                                                              Is like to that above.

                                                              We share our mutual woes,

                                                               Our mutual burdens bear

                                                               And often for each other flows

                                                               The sympathising tear'             ( Words John Fawcett)

                                                             

                                                              

                                                                 

Use me. ( Ephesian 2 v10)3

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

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

                                                  'Tis a task the Master just for you has planned

                                                  Haste to do His bidding,yield Him service true;

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

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

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

                                                    Go where fields  are whitened,and the labourers few;

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

                                               

                                              

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

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

Help me. (Psalm 121) 1

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

A bad ending. ( Colossians 4 v 17)

 At the time Israel was a divided kingdom ,ten tribes were called Israel,and two tribes were called Judah,let us consider one of Judahs  kings Asa,read about him in 1 Kings 15v9ff and in 2Chronicles 14-16. Asa reigned for 40yrs,he did many good things removing  much of the  idolatrous symbols and worship of foreign gods.It is sad to say the people God's people had continually turned away from him,and that brought dire consequences upon them. In 2 Chron Judah is faced witth a mighty army with 300 chariots.Before the battle began Asa prayed v11 here is what he prayed,he acknowledges his peoples weakness but also God's greatness,and they won the battle.God sent a man to speak to Asa  15v 2 here is what he said,'The Lord is with you when you are with him.If you seek him,he will be found by you,but if you forsake him,he will forsake you' Asa continued to do much good removing the idols from the land,he even removed his grandmother because she worshipped false God's.Alas in his last years when he  was with faced with an Israels army ,he did not seek the Lord but sought help from a foreign power. (chap 16) When challenged by a prophet he became angry and put him in jail and brutally oppressed some of his people.He later became ill but never sought the Lord to be healed.So what lessons do we learn from this,well godly people can change and not for the better.He silenced the voice of God ,when you do that you are in big trouble,Last but not least he stopped relying on God,he did it his way, not God's, and that's being very foolish.

Is it I Lord?( Isaiah 6 v 8)

 Our Saviour said 'You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the  earth.(Acts 1 v 8)and on the bases of that the Christian Church became had a mission.From that moment on vast amount of people have taken the gospel to the unsaved.We honour them for many of them paid with their lives ,like Jim Elliot and four others.Here is a the names of some who sought to obey the call of God ,and were faithful to the gospel,'G .Paton ,David Livingstone,Hudson Taylor,William Carey C'T'Studd,Mary Slessar,Gladys Alward,Eric Liddell.They are gone and their works do follow them, we honour their memory.So that leaves us,in the Olympic's of old the torchbearers pass the torch on,so Christians are also called to pass the torch on from generation to generation.The challenge is this, are we willing to take up that torch?  

                                              I,the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry,

                                                All who dwell in dark and sin,my hand will save.

                                        1,who made the stars at night, I will make their darkness bright.

                                                 Who will bear my light to them? whom shall I stand?

                                                                     Here I am,Lord,is it I lord?

                                                                 I have heard your calling in the night,

                                                                        I will go Lord,if you lead me,

                                                                    I  will hold your people in my heart.

                                                                              Words  Dan Schutte

                               

She asked me a question. ( Acts 1 v 8)

I was visiting my dentist and recieving treatment by the hygienus,  she asked me a question,are you a  Catholic or are you a Christian?.I suppose the bracelet I was wearing,which has a little cross on it,caused her to ask that question.We had a good conversation and I said I was a Christian,and I asked her was she a .Christian? I believe she is,but she is not very knowledgeable about spiritual matters ,and the moral boundries there are in being a Christian,In the brief time I had I pointed out somethings ,and before I left I asked could I pray for her ?,and she agreed ,so I prayed for her.Maybe you could pray for that dear girl.In 1Peter3 v15 we read, 'Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.But do this with gentleness and respect'.Let us remember that we are to be witnesses that is one of our callings, don't neglect your calling,more than ever people need to hear about Jesus..

Why? ( 2Timothy 3 v 1-6)

 Why? it is the cry of the human heart,it was John Lennon who wrote the song 'Imagine' it is song with a longing for things to be better.It ends with the following words,'You may say I'm a dreamer,but I'm not the only one,I hope someday you'll join us,And the world will live as one'.It is only a dream this present world will not  change for the better, things will not get better I believe it will get worse.Now we come to that why,why is it that we are intent in destroying one another. Well we must go back to a beautiful  garden, with two lovely people ,they were sinless,harmony reigned.But all changed they disobeyed God and from being sinless they became sinners.For them and for humanity it was catastrophic,their fallen nature would be passed unto all mankind.Adam and Eve had two sons Cain and Abel,Cain killed Abel and from that moment on the world became a slaughter house .(T Brooke) If you ask the question why all the awful  things are happening in this world,you are failing to grasp the terrible fallen nature that humanity has.So thats why we need a Saviour, God's answer is Jesus,

A song to God ( Psalm 30 v 5 )

Psalm 30, a Psalm by King David,like many of Davids Psalms,it is full of up's and downs,ill health and good health,weeping and rejoicing.In the midst of it all David,inspite of his failures God has mercy upon him.He declares what God has done for him.In v 2 he write,'Lord my God,I called to you for help',When God is our God,we can call upon Him for help',we have that great assurance when we know Him personally. Psalm 23 v1 ,David prays with confidence,'The Lord is my shepherd,I shall not want',in v4  he declares ,Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,for you are with me' But  he takes his eyes of the Lord,Ps30v6 reads 'In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved',One writer puts it this way,'When things were going great I crowed,''I've got it made.I'm God's favorite'. Self confidence will get us into trouble,be on your gaurd in times of prosperity.He writes of God  hiding His face from him v 7,in other words he lost the sense of God's presence.v8ff has  David crying and  pleading  to God for mercy,he feels that death is near,but God had mercy and answered him. In v11-12 the mourning garment is  cast off and he sings the praises of God out of a thankful heart.

C.T.Studd ( Acts 20 v 22-24)

I remember reading the life of C.T.Studd many years ago,and just recently I read a short account of his life  from the Trail Blazers series,which I would recommend to you.He was an English man from an  upper class family,he and his brother were famous sports people.Their  father became a Christian when he heard Moody preaching ,he was an American evangilist.God moved through the whole family so started a life  for Christ ,he and his brother became missionaries ,first in China then in  Africa(Do read the little book) I move unto his time in what was known as the Belgian Congo where God used him  greatly, people got saved, Cannibals,Drunkards,Thieves,Murderers,Adulterers,and Swearers.C.T,Studd was a man on fire for God ,he had a soul thrist for the lost,and he gave his life over in Christian service.He, said,'If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then there can be no sacrifice too great to make for Him'.

                                                    'What sacrifice are we prepared to

                                                      make for Jesus?.'

A balanced prayer ( Psalm 62 v 10)

Last but not least we finish on the prayer by a man called Agur,he has asked God not to give him riches nor poverty,he was concerned that if he was poor with no money,he would become a thief.No one wants to be so poor tthat they may be driven to yield to temptation and steal,the  law tells us to steal is a sin.(Exodus 20 v 15) Bridges comments he is not asking for the bare necessities but for enough in accordence with where God has placed him. He refers to the manna that God supplied in the wilderness,they had it every day,in Exodus 16 v 18 we read, 'the one who gathered much, did not have too much,and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.In Philippians 4 v19 the apostle Pual writing to believers encouraged them with this wonderful promise ,'And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus'.A Bishop Hall wrote,''I am both thankful and indifferent; so as,while I am rich in estate,I may be poor in spirit; and while I am poor in estate,I may be rich in grace'.

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.