Depending upon God. [ 2 Chronicles 20 ]

I have just finished reading about Jehoshaphat, a king of Judah, he was a good king, but, there is always a but it seems. The good things about him, he did seek to follow God, and encourage his subjects to do this also. I love his prayer in 2 Chronicles 20, he ends it with the following words,[ v20 ],[ his people are faced with a vast army, certain defeat looks on the cards ], We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help. What a wonderful prayer, one of utter dependance on God, it is the safest attitude to have, and I believe one, God will honour. [ Father we bring all our unsolvable problems to You, and ask that You will help us, in Jesus, Amen ]

Following Jesus.[ John 21v 15-22 ]

Jesus said follow me , are we doing this ?, it seems such a simple thing , and in many ways it is, but it is also a challenge. Becoming a Christian involves a relationship with Jesus, everything is linked with that. This relationship is one of love, and a loving obedience, Jesus appeal ,is to the heart, he asked Peter, do you love Me?, I wonder why He asked him three times, well often God speaks to us many times ,in the hope that we will response. Jesus is very persistent, and patient with us, He needs to be,for so often we are very slow in the uptake, Jesus will not give up on us till He gets a response, it is important it is the right response. [Dear Lord Jesus , we do love You,and inspite of our failings , and faults, we know you love us, keep us in your love today, Amen .]

Guilt [Romans 8 v 1 ]

I remember years ago a man reproaching me for having a record collection, the same person was good at loading others with guilt, yet he was a backslider,and in comparison to me he was very well of. We live in a needy world so many crying out for help, regularly I recieve literature from charities , the needs are endless, we can so easy be filled with guilt, let me say this, dont. It is important to see the importance of giving regularly, yes sacrificial at times , but dont , I emphasize , dont be driven by guilt, be led by the Spirit. I can assure you being lead by the Spirit will bring challenges, and yes sacrifice , so refuse to be driven by guilt today. [Father You are the giving God , all we have comes from you, we thank you, and we pray that you help us to be generous, to be lead in our giving not by guilt but by your Spirit, in Jesus name we ask this, Amen. ]

We are not just pawns.[John 3 v16 ]

One of the meanings for the word pawn is, a chessman of the lowest value, sometimes it seems we are like pawns of the lowest value,but the fact is we are not. In Gods eyes we are the most valuable thing in the whole wide world, how do I know this? the answer is simple yet very profound, Calvary. Consider the following words written by the apostle Peter, [1 Peter 1v18-20.] For you know God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold and silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless , spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ranson long before the world began. ] Now thats how valuable you are to God , so dont let anyone tell you , that you are of no worth, you are of great worth and importance to God. [ Father we know that we are sinners , deserving only your wrath, yet you love and value us so much that you give Jesus to die for us,all we can do is bow at your feet and worship you, Amen ]

You cant teach an old dog new tricks.[Matthew 11v15 -19 ]

I have just got another car it is an automatic, I mainly have owned and driven manuels, so I am having to readjust my driving, my wife Daphne drives an automatic also . She was a passenger in my car and I was not getting it right with my new car, so she told me what I was doing wrong, and what I should be doing , I must confess I found it hard to take instructions from her, after all I helped her in her driving, and I have been driving many years more than her. Listen it is important for us all us to be teachable , no matter how long one is a Christian , and even if God uses your wife to be your teacher. [Father help us to be teachable, grant us this grace today, in Jesus name we ask this, Amen. ]

Dont expect the worse.[ Roman 8 v 28. A.V ]

It is going to rain tomorrow is an indication of us always expecting the worse, one of my favourite verses in that wonderful hymn by William Cowper, God moves in a mysterious way,is verse 3, which reads , Ye fearful saints , fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread , are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head. This is not just about being optimistic, it is about having faith,that our Sovereign Lord is in control, and is working out all things for the good of His children. So dont expect the worse, trust your loving heavenly Father to work on your behalf. [ Loving Father forgive us for our lack of trust in your care, help us today to rise above our worries, and fears, we ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen. ]

A request [2 Timothy 4 v6-8 ]

In Proverbs 30 v8-9, we read, O God , I beg two favors from you, let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches, Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deney you and say , Who is the Lord?, And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult Gods holy name. Here is a man who wants three things, [ 1 ] Integrity. [2] Balance. [3] To honour God. The writer acknowledges his weakness and vulnerability, God wants honesty from us, the writer also acknowledges his dependance on God , this is the safest attitude to have . [Dear God and Father we lift our voices up to You, and ask that You will help us to be people of integrity, balance, and that we will not do anything , that will bring dishonour to your name ,for the sake of Jesus we ask this , Amen.]