The way forward. [2 Corinthians 12 v9 ]

We all have fears,some are temporary others are permanent, and often it is the permanent fears that can cause us the most bother, because they affect our lives and of those around us. The question is what can we do to overcome our fears?,and we do need to overcome them, if we dont we will be ruled by them and they will increase their hold on us, and affect our lives dramatically. Joyce Meyer was abused as a child and so she knows about fear in the area of the physical, yet it appears she has a happy marriage. Joyce wrote a book with this theme ,/Do it afraid/. I believe there is a truth in this that we need to grasp, our fears dont go away automatically, we have to face them ,bear with them and move forward at all times relying on the grace of God, we may never fully lose our fear but we can overcome them.I am reminded of the movie the Great escape, one of those tunnelling had a fear of being closed in,it was overwhelming, but if he was going to escape to freedom, he had go down that tunnel, and he did.[ Dear God help us to face our fears, to not give into them, help us by Your grace to overcome them, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Froth and bubble [ Matthew 7 v24-27]

Continually our Saviour reminds us of what is really important, we so easily fix our eyes on the froth and bubble of life, build our hopes and aspirations on the trivial. So often we build our lives like sandcastles, and we are surprised when the tide of life washes it away, and we are left with nothing. Our Saviour said we need to build our lives on a good foundation, I read this in the Message,[Jesus said] /These words I speak to your life are not incidental additions to your life,homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words , words to build into your life on.[ Matthew 7v24ff] , Previous to this we read,/ Dont be impressed with charisma, look for character [v15ff].The challenge of the Christian life is great, it demands a godly reality and a godly character, in these lives of ours, froth and bubble will not do.[ Dear Saviour have mercy upon us and grant that we will build our lives on on You and Your word, and not on froth and bubble .Amen]

A kiss[ 1 Corinthians 13]

I was not happy with her, who must be obeyed and I told her, yes we are not the perfect couple, we do have disagreements, I suppose it is because we are not perfect individuals, we are a work in progress. So I went to bed but before I went to sleep I read a new devotional I had just bought, and I read the following,/Agree with one another, live in peace, and peace will be with you[2 Corinthians13v11] The writer Jonathan Edwards said this,/it is of vast importance that you should avoid contention. A contentious people will be a miserable people/. I felt challenged so I without saying anything give my wife a kiss on her forehead,we are at peace now. [ Dear God help us to at all times to be a peace maker,help us to live in peace and avoid contention,in Jesus name Amen]

A minefield.[ 1 Thessalonians5v23-24]

Two things happened yesterday, that caught me unawares, they were a bit upsetting ,when you are dealing with people , anything can happen, be it family, friends, neighbours or whoever.Where you have people you will always have potential problems, and you and I may be the cause of the problem.we may not be , but here is the challenge what would Jesus have us do ?. There are different things we can do, be forgiving, ask for forgiveness,be humble, pray about it, we need daily wisdom, ask for it, we need grace, ask for it. In the end there may not be much we can do, but just commit things to God,and leave it with Him .[ Lord sometimes life appears to be a minefield, so this day help us to walk with humility ,wisdom and love . Amen ]

Be careful [John 14 v6 ]

I mentioned recently that I saw the movie Avatar and I felt a bit of unease with it, so it was interesting when I saw a headline in the Daily Mail,/ A word on Avatars/. Seemingly the word Avatar originates out of Hindu tradition ,referring to the descent of the god Vishnu descending in human or animal form to restore righteousness on earth. There are ten Avatars , the most famous is Krisna,so read the letter to the Mail. I know we can see spiritual truths,in so much, but we must do so with much caution, there is no gospel according to Avatar. The movie I stress is there baslcally to entertain, not to promote the gospel or any other religion, If we want truth then we must turn to Gods word, and to Jesus who alone is the truth, so be careful in how you spiritualize things. [ Dear God in a world of much confusion , help us to judge all things according to Your word, and Your Son Jesus , Amen ]

Generous [ Matthew 5 13- 16 ]

I read these words in the Message, from Matthew 5,/Be generous with your lives/,, they bring a challenge first of all to be generous. Our Lord was generous ,when He performed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes [John 6]everyone was fed ,everyone,the good the bad ,everyone. Generous, there seems to me,that there is contradiction, in a Christian who is mean, the challenge is to be generous, but it goes further than that, it says be generous with our lives,this goes further than financial giving, a friend of mine works in a residential home ,she is past retirement age, yet she works long hours in caring for others. Being generous with our lives brings a big challenge,but as we take the challenge up, we are following in the footsteps of Him who laid down His life for us. [ Dear God we give You thanks for Your generosity towards us , in giving Jesus , and all that that means, and also You generosity to us in a multitude of ways each day , help us to be generous .Amen]

Disruption [Romans 8 v28 ]

A group of us went to take a service at a local hospice, only to find it was not possible, I was going to speak and sing, so a member of our group suggested that we pray for the patients in the hospice, this we did. Often as Robert Burns wrote,/The best laid schemes of mice and men, often go astray/,yes we make our plans, but none of us can be certain that everything will go as planned. So many people never invite God into their plans, yes even Christians, and James says such an attitude is evil [ 4v16]. Today let us acknowledge God in all our ways, and not after the event,and if disruptions come ,do what my friend suggested ,pray , bring God into the situation, Im sure what the hospice needed in the providence of God at that time was our prayers, not my preaching.[ Dear God we thank you for your over-ruling providence in all our lives, help us to be at peace when our plans are disrupted, and to pray, in Jesus name Amen ]