Promises [Joshua 24 v45 ]

On the British currency we have the words, /I promise to pay the bearer the sum of...... signed Andrew Baily chief cashier/. Making a promise and keeping that promise should be one and the same thing, but it is not always the same thing. It would be nice to say that I have always kept my promises, but the fact of the matter is, I have not,there are different reasons why we dont keep our promises. When it comes to God we are told, He cannot lie ,[ Titus 1v 2 ] and He always will fulfill His promises, in 2 Peter 1 v4 we are told that we have been given exceeding great and precious promises. I am reminded of an old hymn, which goes,/ Standing on the promises of Christ my King. Standing on the promises that cannot fail/,in an uncertain world we can totally rely on the promises of God, be it for salvation, provision , protection,and guidance, what God has promised He will do. [Father we thank You for those promises in your word, promises which You will always keep,help us to stand on them, in Jesus name we ask this, Amen ]

True religion. [ Matthew 23 v 23- 24 ]

In Proverbs 21 v 23, we read,/ The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer sacrifices/, now the writer is not saying sacrifices are not important, but he is saying we must not let our religious requirements take priority over love. One of the best examples of this is the story of the good Samaritan, [Luke 10 v 25 -37 ] two religious people, who failed to do what is right, they attended the temple, prayed,sought to fulfill their legal requirements but in Gods eyes they failed miserable, because they failed to do good. Praying ,going to church,reading the word of God are vital in our Christian life, but they are not the sum total of being a Christian. Our Saviour prayed,a lot, but He went about doing good, so must we, we must have balance in our lives, are we religious,well we are told that,/Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows/. [ Dear God help us to be balanced in our Christian life, help us to value what You value, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Be careful. [Matthew 7 v1-5 ]

Just recently something happened, and I was pouring judgement on something that had happened to me, and then I recieved a phone call from the person involved, explaining that they had made a mistake.Well I felt a bit guilty , but I also learned a valuable lesson, that is, to be cautious in how we view things, and to not jump to conclusions. Many people are condemmed wrongly today, because of prejudice,envy,and an unwillingness to wait until the full story is revealed, in other words they are pre-judged. So let us not run with the lynch mob, let us wait until we hear the whole story, and let us remember , as we judge so we will be judged[ Matthew 7 v 1-6 ]

Goals. [ Ephesians 1 v 4 ]

Have you a goal in life? I have ,I suppose I have a number of goals, Heaven ,that is the ultimate goal, but here is one that is very challenging, Holiness. There used to be, holiiness teaching, I dont hear much about it these days, what is holiness? a good question, what do think holiness is?. The dictionary defines holiness as spiritual purity,it seems to me it is ungoing, it is not something that we suddenly arrive at, it is our goal every day, to be holy. It appears for many people holiness means lack of love ,Jesus encountered this continually, and this grieved Him [ Mark 3v 5 ]. True holiness starts in the heart,and then is manifested in the life, if the fulfillment of the law is love for God and people, [ Matthew 22v37 ], then holiness must be a manifestation of love.We are to hold the truth in love, and speak it in love, [ Ephesians 4 v15 ] consider what Jesus said to a woman caught in adultery, /Neither do I condemn thee, go, and sin no more[John 8 v11 ]/.[Holy Father we confess that only You are holy, we thank you that we are accepted in Jesus, help us everyday, to make holiness our goal, Amen ]

The word of God. [ 2 Timothy 3 v 16- 17 ]

There are some books in the Bible that are not so easy to read, they do not appear to have much relevance to us today, such is Leviticus, so what do we do ignor it , neglect it?. An important aspect of the Christian life is discipline, and this applies to our reading of the word of God, that means reading it, even when we find it hard going, which we will at times. There are a number of things that can help us in this discipline, a study Bible, I use the,/ Life application study Bible/, and I find this tremendously helpful, I would commend it to you. The next aid we have is prayer,Psalm 119 v 27, reads,/Help me understand the meaning of your commandments/, so pray as you read the word of God. The next aid is meditation, again the Psalmist prayed,/ Oh how I love your instructions, I think [ meditate] about them all day long.[ Ps 119v 97 ]. Let us also remember we have the Holy Spirit who will help us in our reading of all of the scripture, even those parts that are difficult and uninviting.[John 16 v 13] [Father help us not to worship your word,but help us to read it , to understand it, and most of all to live it . Amen ]

Eyes to see [ 2 Kings 6 v 8 ff ]

The story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6 v 8-17 is very instructed , a great army had come and surrounded the city were they dwelt. The servant was overwhelmed , not so the prophet, they both faced with the same difficulties, but only the prophet had eyes to see beyond the difficulties, one despaired , one was confident. Life is full of situations, difficulties, they are real and can cause us to despair, we can be like Elisha or his servant, it depends how we look at our situations, or were we look, or to whom we look. Elisha spoke and prayed for his servant, /Dont be afraid, said Elisha, for there are more on our side than theirs. Then Elisha prayed, O Lord , open his eyes and let him see./ the Lord answered that prayer, for we read that,/ The Lord opened the young mans eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chaiots of fire/. The bible tells us if God is for us who can be against us, [ Romans 8 v 31 ],may the Lord grant us the eyes of faith, to see this today. [Father whatever difficulties we may be facing today, help us to see beyond them, to You, the One who is greater than the difficulties we are facing, in Jesus name we ask yhis Amen ]

Closed doors/ Open doors.[ Hebrews 11 v 8 ]

As we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will direct our ways,[Proverbs 3 v 6. a v ]that will mean He will close doors,[ Acts 16 v 6-7 ] but it will also mean He will open doors, [ Revelation 3 v8 ]. Let us remember a closed door is just as much Gods leading as an open one, so do not worry over the closed doors, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not upon your own understanding.[Proverbs 3 v5 av ] If God opens a door go forth in faith ,without fear, trusting in your Lord to undertake, He will be with you, to provide and guide. Sometimes the open door will raise question,can we cope,the answer is very simple, yes, for where God guides , He will provide, and whatever may come at you, He will over-rule,your business will be His business. Consider that wonderful promise in Isaiah 41v 10,/Dont be afraid, for I am with you. Dont be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. [Dear God and Father we thank You that You are leading us in life, help us to follow where You lead, trusting You to undertake in everything, in Jesus name we ask this , Amen ]