Courage [ Joshua 1 v 9 ]

One of my favourite movies is the ,Wizard of Oz, and one of my favourite characters is the lion who lacked courage, there is an old hymn which reads,/ Courage brother to not stumble. Though thy path be dark as night, Theres a star to guide the humble, Trust in God and do the right/. This is Boxing day also known as Saint Stephens day, Stephen was the first Christian martyr , he was stoned to death , yet in his dying he showed great courage and even love to those who were killing him.[ we read about him in Acts 7] We may not have to face martydom, [ we may ] but I believe that we are all called to face life with a degree of courage,to say no in certain situations, to face each days challenges, with courage,the Christian life is not for cowards. [ Father grant us the grace to face life with courage each day, we ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen. ]

The cost of evil [ John 3 v16 ]

I found myself saying as I watched TV ,there is always a cost for evil, it may seem inappropriate saying such a thing on this Christmas day,yet at the very core of the Christmas message we have a child who was born to die on a cross. Sin costs and it would cost God everything, the death of His dear Son, we can only begin to imagine the depths of what God felt in giving Jesus, for our salvation. Yes there is a cost to evil , the evil of sin, consider the pain caused by sin,the pain God feel as He looks on His broken world, as he hears the cry of children neglected and abused,of the rape victims, of the violence of so many conflicts, yes there is a cost where ever evil raises its ugly head, but rising out of the ashes one solitary figure stands Jesus, and declares I will go and redeem and rescue poor fallen humanity, and He did just that ,on the Cross. [Dear God thank you for Jesus your Son who You give, that through Him we may escape the eternal consequences of our sin, Amen ]

Be very sure.[ 1 John 5 v13 ]

I have concerns for so many people, especially my loved ones, I want to see them in heaven,yesterday I spoke to an old aunt on the phone, a church goer all her life a believer in God,and I love her, but is she saved?.I asked her when she prayed that night, to simply ask the Lord to save her, she said she would, I hope so. I share this with you because I want you all to realise ,and I quote words from some thing I read recently,/You can go to heaven without health, without wealth, without fame, without culture, but you will never go to heaven without Christ/. There is an old hymn which goes, / Be very sure/, are you sure you are going to heaven?, if you are not ,well I will say to you, what I said to my dear old aunt, simply ask the Lord Jesus to save you right now. [Father we thank for Jesus who died to bring many to glory, we pray that many at this time will trust Him to be their Saviour, we ask this in His name and for His sake, Amen. ]

I was not expecting it [ Proverbs 27 v 1 ]

As one reads the bible , you notice how God breaks into lives, when they were not expecting it, people were just going about their business when God interrupts their plans.Think about the Christmas event , starting with Mary, being told she was going to have a child, she was not married, but she rose to the challenge. Think of the conversion of Saul, it was the last thing in the world he was thinking about, one moment hating Christians and Christ, the next moment he had become a Christian. Yesterday I was going about my business when suddenly I was faced with something, unexpected , that something was from God it was unexpected. I believe we should be ready for God , to act in unexpected ways, and what is most important for us, is the challenge to response in a right way. [ God of the unexpected, we long for You to act in our lives and in the lives of others, help us to responsed in a right way when You do, we ask this in Jesus name, Amen ]

What can I give Him? [ 2 Corinthians 12 v 1-10 ]

This is the time for singing carols which I like, one of my favourite carols is, /In the bleak mid-winter/,I have been criticised for choosing it in our carol services, the reason being Christ was not born in the bleak mid-winter. I am sure the writer of that carol knew this ,mybe she was seeking to make it more real to us in England. It raises the challenge for all of us to convey the Christian message to non-Christians in a way that they can identify with. It is the last verse of this carol that strikes a cord with me, it reads,/What can I give Him,poor as I am?.Last evening I took a carol service, they are a small church, no one can play a musical instrument, I was asked could I play my guitar, I did, in much weakness,and God helped. As I drove home the words of that carol came to mind,/What can I give Him ?/, and I found myself saying, I will give Him my weakness, thats what I will do, I will give Him my weakness.[ Father in Heaven You tell us that Your power works best in weakness, and so we yield up to You all our weaknesses , in Jesus name we ask this, Amen.]

Evidence[ 1 Thessalonians 1 ]

In a national newspaper I read these words,/ Yes , Scientists believe in God/, I found it interesting and helpful ,particularly what a professor Burgess said,/The most moving evidence for Christianity I have seen is when a person with a broken life puts their trust in the Lord Jesus and finds healing, peace and purpose/. During the week I was asked by someone why I appeared to be calm, what was my secret, I simply replied ,if there was any calm in my life it was because of the Lord/. When Christ saves us He brings a change into our lives,He does trully bring healing, peace and purpose,and by His grace He gradually by different means, His word, prayer, a yielding up of our will ,to His will, make us better people. [Father we confess that we are far from what we should be, but we also give You thanks that through Your Son Jesus we have changed for the better. Amen ]

December [ John 1 v1-14 ]

December is such a dark and dreary month in England ,in many ways depressing, yet there are things that lift the gloom, Christmas lights. I stood outside my home last evening, and noticed the many homes that have lights displayed, these light displays do a lot to lift the gloom, and I enjoy them. I noticed in my diary that on the 22nd of December the Jewish festival of lights is taking place. It is William Barclay, who writes about this festival at the time of Jesus, when in the temple four great candelabas were lit, lighting up the darkest recesses within the temple, and it was during that festival that Jesus cried out,/ I am the light of the world, if you follow me, you wont have to walk in darkness, because you have the light that leads to life [ John 8 v12 ]/,again it is W.B. who points out that the Rabbis declared that the name of the Messiah is Light. It is Graham Kendrick who writes,/Darkness like a shroud covers the earth, evil like a cloud covers the people/,December may be a dark and dreary month, but there is a greater darkness as G. K. rightly points out,to all who are in darkness the words of Jesus is, if you follow Me ,you wont walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.[ Dear God we ask that He who is the light of the world, Jesus Your son, may shine into the hearts of men and women , this Christmas, Amen ]