Mistakes.[ 1 Corinthians 13 v4-8]

Mistakes, we all make mistakes, I see this in relation to my blog, I usually do my blog each morning, before going to work, and I dont usually prepare, I just ask the Lord to give me something to write, so there will be mistakes, although I do my best to edit any mistakes out, so do make allowances. Let us broaden this out to life in general, we all make mistakes, none of us our perfect,our Saviour made that point so often, we make mistakes so we are to treat people as we would like to be treated, especially when they make mistakes. We often make the statement, no one is perfect, and its true, so today make allowances for others, and their mistakes, let us show the same attitude as our Saviour to shows us , when we make mistakes.[ Dear Saviour,we thank You for Your patience and understanding with us, when we make mistakes, help us to show the same patience and understanding with others, when they make mistakes, Amen]

We have the power.[ Ephesians 5 v18]

It is so easy to be sucked into things,and we end up doing things we really didnt want to, buying a car ,we simply allowed ourselves to be carried away, in that car showroom, when we saw all those lovely gleaming cars.It happens to us all to some extent, one of the things that should be in our lives is self control, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit [ Galations 5v22-23]. Many people say I cannot help it, in other words they are saying ,that they have no power in themselves to exercise control in a given thing, be it eating, buying or something else. In the case of a person who is not a Christian , thats true ,they have no power to say no, to those things that rule their lives, but as Christians, hear this, we have the power, we are not left to struggle on our own, we have the Holy Spirit, and by His power we can exercise self control, we need to stop relying on ourselves, and start depending on Him for the stength we require, to resist temptation, and to be more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus .[ Dear Heavenly Father we confess that in ourselves we are weak, weak to resist so much that is wrong, weak to resist those sudden impulses, so today fill us with Your Spirit, so that we can be overcomers in Jesus name . Amen ]

He touched me.[Matthew 8v1-4]

I was just thinking of the thought that is expressed in a number of Christian songs,of being touched by Jesus, words like,He touched me/, or only a touch from thine hand dear Lord. In the Gospels we read of Jesus touching different people, and when He did wonderful things happened. So often we pray for the Lord to touch us, and we experience a blessing,forgiveness, healing,and strengthening, the darkness lifts, the light breaks through, all this happens because Jesus touched us. Our Saviour is still in the business of touching people, and when He does , things will happen, let us remember Jesus is the same yesterday, today , and for ever, hath faith in Him. Call upon Him,in all your need, He hears the cry of the needy, the distressed, those who are cast down, and experience His touch , upon that life of yours.[ Dear Lord Jesus we come to You in all our need and ask that You would reach out to us , and touch us. Amen ]

The cross now the glory later [Romans 8v18]

Joseph is one of the lovliest characters in the Bible, his life falls into two parts, the first part involved suffering, the second part involved glory and blessing. Read his life in Genesis 37-50, you will recieve much benefit from a study of his life, he was hated by his brothers, to the point of them wanting to kill him, we place great value on our natural relationships but often we are disappointed . Although his brothers hated him Joseph showed tremendous love and forgiveness to them, he could have had them destroyed, but he didnt, Joseph looked beyond them to God, to a sovereign God, to His purpose for himself and his brothers.Pain, injustice, Joseph experienced all of that, but he also experienced the glory, today you may be experienceing pain ,mybe hurts from your nearest and dearest, ask God to keep you sweet, loving and forgiving, and remember after the cross comes the glory.[ Father in Heaven help us to not become bitter because of hurts caused by family or friends, help us to see thst all things are working together for our good, and that after the cross comes the glory, in Jesus name . Amen]

Frightened? [ Psalm 23 ]

Why are you frightened? Jesus asked His disciples[Luke 24v38],and here is the amazing thing , they were frightened of Him, they had no need to be frightened, but they were. Jesus surprised them, they had witnessed his death on the cross,and they thought that was the end of the story, but it wasnt. They could not take it in ,that death wasnt the end,so here was Jesus proving them wrong, by His very presence. I wonder is Jesus saying to us, why are you frightened?, consider how Jesus reassured them, He spoke to them, how important in the times when we are frightened, to hear Jesus, just as His words stilled the angry waves,[Mark 4v35-41], so let His words calm our fears. There are so many things that can cause us to feel frightened, but the answer to all of them is Jesus, the Psalmist wrote, I will fear no evil for Thou are with me,[ Psam23v4], it is His presence that keeps us safe,it is His presence that will enable us to overcome all our fears.[ Dear Saviour You know how we can be so easily frightened, today calm our fears,by a sense of Your presence, grant us grace to hear Your still small voice,in the midst of our storm. Amen ]

Holiness. [ Leviticus 20 v7]

How much do we desire to be holy?, I found myslf asking this question, I have prayed for so many things, legitimate things, for souls, for overcoming temptation, for the sick, for financial needs, but have I prayed to be holy?, oh yes I acknowledge that God is holy, but do I desire to be holy?. True holiness is a radical thing, for it trully reflects God, and there is nothing more radical than that. True holiness affects all our lives, it goes further than rule keeping, Jesus said ,/ unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the pharisees.[Matthew 5v20]. I believe God wants honesty from us ,and as I thought on holiness, I found myself praying I dont know that I want to be holy, for I realize that it will mean letting go of wrong thought patterns, let us remember sin gives pleasure, so am I willing to forsake that which gives me pleasure?.Am I willing to make holiness not pleasure my goal?. [Holy God have mercy upon us , and help us to rise to the challenge of holiness, help us to say yes to holiness, in Jesus name .Amen ]

He cares [ Psalm 37]

In Psalm 37v23, we read,/ The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives/[NLT] . Consider the first part of the verse the Lord directs, but it does not stop there it reads ,He directs the steps of the godly , the godly are His children all who have accepted Christ as Saviour,those He directs.Are you concerned over the future?, are there changes coming into your life, seek His will in all you do,and He will show you which path to take[Proverbs 3v6].The second part of the verse tells us that the Lord delights in every detail of His childrens lives, there are parts of our lives which we keep hidden from others, but nothing is hidden from our Lord.He delights in every part of His childrens lives, as a father I am concerned and delight in every aspect of my childrens lives, God does not despise His children, no He delights in all that concerns them, their health, finances,education,and so on, he desires whats best for them,He will correct them, will uphold them, and will bless them.[ Father in Heaven we give You thanks for Your constant and considerate care for all Your children ,in Jesus name .Amen ]