The Potter[ Matthew 26v 36-44]

In a number of places in the Bible, God is depicted as being a potter[ Isaiah 29v18/45v9-10/Jeremiah18v1-9/ Romans9v20-24],He is the Potter we are the clay, in other words He is Sovereign over our lives, the one who brings us into being, the one who caused us to be born into the family ,nation, that we found ourselves in.The one who shaped us in the womb, and preserved us, brought us into being, and has brought us to were we are now,the one who is shaping our lives, allowing us to experience joys and pain,preparing us for given roles and purposes.The thing to remember in this, is, the loving character of God,He is not a tyrant, nor is He cruel, whatever difficulty we may be facing at this time,He is working it for our good[ Romans 8v28.av ] and His glory.[ Sovereign God we come to You in all our weakness, we acknowledge that we do question Your ways,we struggle so often to accept Your ways and purposes for our lives, have mercy upon us, we pray that You would help us to trust You, and bow to Your Lordship in our lives , in Jesus name . Amen ]

Ice cream [ Matthew 6 v25-34]

At the club I help to run, they had ice cream , as I am diabetic I couldnt have any ,I would have liked some. When I came home my wife came in from the shopping and in the shopping was diabetic ice cream, so I had some, I am grateful to my wife for getting me the ice cream , but I am grateful to God for prompting her, to buy it. All this reminds me how God cares for us , His love is constant,and ever so thoughtful, in fact the word of God tells us that the very hairs of our head are counted,[Matthew 10v30]. I didnt even pray about the ice cream ,and yet God answered my desire. In Matthew 6v25-34 our Saviour, challenges us not to worry, about what we eat,drink or wear, and to not worry about tomorrow,we all are prone to worry,about something, Jesus tells us not to, the God who give me ice cream, will care for us all.Here is what we need to do, seek the kingdom of God above all else,and live righteously, and He will give us everything we need.[ Matthew 6 31-33].[ Dear Father in Heaven we thank You for your love and care, so often You surprise us with Your thoughtfulness, we bless You and praise You in Jesus name . Amen ]

Graduation [ Philippians 3 v12-14]

I was at the graduation of my daughter-in-law yesterday, at Southampton university,it was lovely to see all those young people, graduating. I thought about the cost of it all, the hard work, the financial cost, the discipline involved, but the joy that comes with having accomplished, that given task. If we are to be the Christians we should be ,it will mean hard work, it will cost ,it will mean discipline. Being a Christian presents to us all the greatest challenge in life,we will have to continually study Gods word, and,pray, we will have to live not with rules and regulation , but under the law of love, and to keep our eyes on the goal, not looking back, always seeking to go forward and upward, for the heavenly prize, heaven and home. We are not saying we are saved by our efforts, but rather simply that the Christian life involves effort, and a focus on our goal.[ Dear Lord help us to stay focused on the challenge of being a Christian, help us give ourselves fully to You, each day, help us to graduate with honours, for Your glory, Amen ]

Our Guide [ Psalm 48v14]

In Psalm 32 v8, we read,/ The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life/, God does not save us and then let us get on with it, no He remains with us. We are being told three things,[1] the person who is speaking ,the Lord, consider what those words means, His character, Holy, loving,one who cannot lie. [2] His interest in you personally, God says , I will guide you. [3] The best pathway, I often say to myself as to my present employment, God choose what was best for me, and I rejoice in that daily. [ Dear God we praise You for your constant care for us, and that You are leading us,and that You make no mistakes,help us today to rest in You today, in Jesus name Amen ]

The future [Matthew 6 v 25-34]

Crystal balls,horoscopes, remind us of mankinds desire to know the future,the future can fill us with anxiety, there are many,anxious people at this time. We are in a recession, will I loose my job?,will I be able to manage if I do?, so many things to worry about, people facing a divorce, the list is endless.I read these words in Psalm 31v 15,/ My future is in your hands/, as I was writing this blog I was playing some gospel songs, and I heard these words,/ Many things about tomorrow I dont seem to understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand/. If we are a child of God ,all will be well, because our future is in Gods hands,nothing can harm us, other than what God permits, He will guide, provide,and overrule in all things, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. [ Father in heaven, help us not to worry about the future, because our future is in Your hands,help us to rest in Your love, and in the knowledge that You will care for us, in Jesus name. Amen ]

A great challenge. [ 1 Corinthians 13 ]

Lets srike a blow, even a medal, for marriage, so read the headlines in an article in a national newspaper,the writer went on to say that ,/marriage is gruellingly hard , astonishing, a feat of true endurance/. It sounds pretty grim, but it was not meant to to be , it was just being realistic, reminding us of the challenge that marriage presents.Bob Gass in Word for the day,writes about the myth of a perfect marriage, marriage is a mixture of so many things, and lets be honest it is one of lifes great challenges. A work colleague said to me that marriage is full of compromises,true, you do have to give up the TV control, you do have to go shopping when you would rather play golf or watch the football.There should be romance in marriage,give and take,I heard someone say, to us men,when you are wrong admit it, and when you are right, say nothing.For all its challenges, marriage can be tremendously rewarding, and fullfilling, we may not recieve a medal, but we will find so much, that will bless us. [Dear God we thank You, for marriage, we acknowledge that it is a challenge,grant us the grace we need to be faithful, and loving,in our marriages in Jesus name Amen .]

Listening [ Psalm 95 ]

Sometimes I am told , by she who must be obeyed, that I am not listening, if truth was told, she may be right, oh yes I hear her , but it does not register, my mind is on more important things , like the football. I suppose I have another reason, I am a senior citizen,and my hair is going,my teeth is going, and I can make the excuse that my hearing is going also, or mybe it is I dont want to hear what she is saying. I read these words in Psalm 27v8,/ My heart has heard you say, Come and talk with me. And my heart responds , Lord , I am coming/.Here is a person who is really listening, really focused on what God is saying, he listened with his heart, and He reponds from the heart. God often is speaking, but we are not really listening,because our minds are on other things,or we really dont take time to listen,or we may not want to face up to what God is saying, so we dont listen. Today let us listen from our hearts, to what God is saying, and respond from our hearts. [ Dear God,help us to listen to Your voice , from our hearts, and to respond from our hearts , in Jesus name Amen ]