Well done.

There is an old hymn comes to mind with these words, He"ll understand and say well done, one aspect of being a parent is to appreciate the imperfect efforts of your children, to see the love behind the deed, and to encourage them with a well done. Sometimes as I look at my weak efforts at serving Jesus, a sense of failure can creep in, those words of that old hymn remind me , He"ll understand and say well done. [ Dear God you are my loving Heavenly Father , one who appreciates my faltering efforts in serving you,that my best , and worse efforts, are treasured by you, thanks for being so understanding, in Jesus name.]

Thinking aright.

There is a very interesting book called the power of positive thinking, I need so often need to pull myself up , simply because my thinking is becoming so negative, such thinking can pull one down . My experience of life has had its down sides, and still does have,but I have so often to remind myself of the good things in my life, I may have an illness but I have medicine, do you get the idea?, I may be going through a trial but even in those trials we experience what I call mercies, we may not always be able to look on the bright side of life, but do try. [ Father my thinking is so often negative, help me to think aright, help me in my thought life, in Jesus name.Amen]

Work

There was this chap who said he loved work , he could watch it all day, we all look at work in different ways,to some it is a necessary evil, to others it is a power game, like so many things in life we all have our own views, some views are negative, others positive.As a Christian I look on work as something positive and helpful, granted there are many jobs that are not the best I know this from expearence,yet even in those jobs, we can glorify God, the word of God tells us in Colossians 3v23-24, And whatsoever you do, do it heartily , as to the Lord, and not unto men, Knowing that of the Lord ye shall recieve the reward. [ Father what ever work You have entrusted to me, help me to glorify You in it, in Jesus name. Amen.]

Friendship.

A friend of mine told me about his father, a fellow Ulster man, he was a Roman Chatolic, he served in the British army in the second world war,most of his companions were Protestants, having come through the war with them , there was a strong bond between then, which lasted for the rest of their lives. This bond was demonstrated during a time of sectarian violence,where they all worked in the shipyard,if you were a Chatolic you were in mortal danger, but his friends protected him,they said we will look after you, and they did, friendship is so important. [Thank you God today for friendship and especially, for the greatest friend of all Jesus. Amen]

An important truth.

Twelve months, fifty two weeks, hundred of days, thousands of minutes,@seconds,that is what the new year holds for all of us. So what is this important truth? , simply this , one day at a time, this is what Jesus told us, dont worry about tomorrow, it does not mean we should not plan or think about the future, but we are not meant to live with anxiety as regards the future,live with a trust in your loving heavenly Father, day by day. [ Father help me to not worry as regards the future , I confess I do worry , forgive me, in Jesus name, Amen.]

Compromise.

I come from Ulster, the cry of the Ulster man is not an inch , no surrender, a certain minister of the Gospel symbolized this, in his religion and his politics, but recently in his political life he has found out the truth that politics is the art of compromise.[ I can understand why some of his followers are confused] .The fact of the matter is if we are to cope with life we need a degree of compromise, as parents ,politicians, bosses, workers, etc. Now while this is true ,there are those things we cannot compromise on, those essential truths , the gospel, holiness.[ Father help me to see when it is wise and best to yield, and give me the courage to stand firm in those things that I should not yield in, in Jesus name. Amen]

You can win.

Just to balance up yesterdays message, let me say we can win, as I write I think of my last football match, that I ever played it was a five aside tourament on holiday, and I was in goals, I remember making a really good save, and was applauded , and we won the tournament. Listen we can win we can succeed, one of the most important things that has happened in my life was, passing my driving test, I could only afford ten lessons, when I told my driving instructor I was doing my test, he advised me to get out of it, but I didnt. During my test my legs were literally shaking, but I passed, against the odds. God spoke to me afterwards, said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe , thou shouldest see the glory of God[John11v40] ,we can be winners. [Father in Jesus name I thank You , we can win and succeed ,to You be all the glory. Amen]