Shine [ Matthew 5v 14-16.]

I heard these words sung on an advert, This little light of mine im going to let it shine, this reminds me of what our Saviour said, that we are to be light [Matthew 5v14], we are meant to shine, He did not call us to live in isolation, but to affect others with our lives. As a leader in a local church my responsiblity is to minister into the lives of those Christians who attend, that they be equipped to shine effectively. This world is a dark place it needs more than ever ,for all of us to shine, so were ever God has placed you ,shine, pray that Christ may be seen in you, in all that you do, and say. [ Father help us to shine, may our lives so manifest your glory, that others will be drawn to Jesus, Amen.]

I remember [John 14v 1-6 ]

It is a very important day , my birthday, I am 64, I have know the Lord for most of my life, and I want to say , He is the greatest friend I have ,I love Him to bits, and He loves me to bits. When I look back on my life, I can trully testify to many things, I have been young, and now am old but I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread, in other words He is faithful. Whatever the future holds for me and you, let me assure you , He will be your guide, protector, He will provide for you , and care for you, He will never leave you nor forsake you, lastly always remember, the best is yet to be, THANK YOU JESUS. Amen

Caught out.[ Proverbs 3 v5-6 . A.V]

In the book of Joshua, chapter 9, we read how Israel were caught out , they made a treaty with a people called the Gibeonites, the Gibeonites were afraid of Israel, so they devised a plan, which worked, and so they were spared from being annihilated, you cant blame the Gibeonites for that,but it was wrong for Israel to make the treaty.When Israel discovered they had been decieved they were angry, but they had made an oath ,so they could not go back on their word, in this they acted honourably, but[ yes there is always a but ] they acted wrongly in making a treaty with the Gibeonites, the reason why ,is very simple, God had instructed them not to make treaties with the different nations. Chap 9v14, tells us ,but they did not consult the Lord. In Proverbs 3 v6,[A.V] we are instructed to, acknowledge God in all our ways, and He will direct our path, whatever decisions you are faced with today, commit to God, He will direct your paths . [ Father help us to bring You into all the decisions in our lives, in Jesus name, Amen.]

Security blanket.[Matthew 7v25-34]

In the Charlie Brown cartoon script , one of the characters Linus, has a security blanket, were ever he goes the security blanket went with him. Here is the question, do you have a security blanket? I raise this idea, because I know how feelings of insecurity , can overtake us , not just for ourselves but for our famlies, what if , fills our thoughts,so today let us let go of our security blanket, and focus on our true security, Psalm 27v1, tells us,The Lord is my light and my salvation-so why shoud I be afraid, The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble. Whatever you are facing today, real or imaginary, let the Lord be your security, He is better than any old security blanket. [Father in the midst of life with all its uncertainties help us to remember ,we are your children, that you are our loving heavenly Father, and you will care for us, in Jesus name we pray this, Amen.]

The God of Joshua. [ Ephesians 3 v 20 ]

In the book of Joshua chapter four we have , Israel experienced a miracle, God caused the river Jordon to dry up, this was at a time when Jordon flooded its banks. There were a number of reasons why God did this, firstly to let the nation cross over, which they did, also to strenthen their faith, they were going to face many difficulties , God was showing them that He was with them, and all his resources were at their disposal. If we are Christians it is important to remind ourselves that whatever we have to face ,God is with us, yes the God of Joshua is our God. [Father help us to trust you in every situation, help us to trust and not be afraid, for you are with us, in Jesus name I ask this, Amen.]

Feeling condemned [1 John 1v1-10 ]

It is J Meyer who points out that there is a difference in being condemned and feeling conviction, if we have trusted Jesus as our Saviour, the Bible tells us we are no longer condemned [Romans 8 v1], this means that I am accepted by God, and because my relationship is based on Grace, my acceptance is permanent, and cannot be changed. Conviction arises when we commit some sin, or when we begin to stray in anyway from the path of righteousness, it is the work of the Spirit to convict, it is our responsiblity to respond to that conviction, to refuse to act is a serious matter, and brings consequences to our fellowship with the Lord. [Father we praise You for saving us freely, by your wonderful grace, through faith in Jesus your Son, help us in our walk with you to keep the slate clean, Amen.]

Falling over. [Joshua 7v19 ]

When you are an adult and you fall over,the thing you feel is mainly embarrassment, I remember while on holiday, a friend fell over, I went up to ask her how she was, and she shouted at me , I quietly walked away, she was embarrassed. Now if truth were told we fall over more than we would admit, oh I dont mean literally, falling over, I mean in our walk with Jesus, lets be honest, we put on a good front, but we know we have fallen, and how embarrassed if others had seen us. When Adam and Eve fell they started to blame others, instead of being honest and admitting their sin to God, we are all like our first parents, God would say to all of us stop hiding behind our excuses, and be honest with Him. [ Father help us to see how vital it is to be honest in our relationship with you , grant us the grace to not hide behind excuses, in Jesus name I ask this, Amen. ]