The fear of the Lord. [ Psalm 111v10]

The Bible says much about the fear of the Lord, we are told it is the beginning of wisdom [Psalm 111v10],one of the chief characteristics of the unsaved is an absence of the fear of the Lord [Romans 3v18]. This aspect of Gods being is not mentioned much these days, we emphasize the mercy,grace, and love of God, and of course these truths are vital, to those who repent and forsake their sin, and trust Jesus as Saviour. A dear friend of mine was at his fathers funeral,yet what gripped him was , not so much about his father but himself,where was he going to spend eternity. There is an old book and it is called sinners in the hands of an angry God, when the fear of the Lord grips us, we begin to fear for our eternal destiny, we begin to see our sins as an offence against His holiness .The Bible clearly teaches that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, this is not scare mongering, it is Gods truth, unforgiven sin will bring Gods holy judgement. [ Dear God give us all a greater understanding and appreciation of the Fear of the Lord in Jesus name Amen ]

A colony from heaven. [ 1 Thessalonians 1v4-9 ]

In a commentary I have of the book of Revelation the author Martin Kiddle writes of the churches as /colonies of heaven/. Jonathan Edwards was a minister of a church in the 18th century, he and his people made a covenant ,which included , being honest and just,making restitution to those they wronged,to not be involved in back-biting,not taking revenge,a concern for others rights,no holding secret grudges,no licentious behavioiur,to examine themselves regulary,to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. I think it would do most churches good, if they would follow that churches example, we may then trully be called a colony from heaven. [ Dear God help Your church to reflect the reality of true Christlikeness. in Jesus name Amen ]

A needful reminder [ Revelation 19 v 6 av ]

As I looked at the news this morning, and as I consider so much in life in general, and my own life, I need to constantly remind myself of that precious doctrine, the sovereignty of God. It is a doctrine that we need to grasp by faith, I say by faith ,because if we look at life through natural eyes we will struggle to accept this doctrine. That is why the unbeliever will reject this doctrine, we need not be surprised at this as 1 Corinthians 2v14, tells us,/People who aren,t spiritual cant recieve these thruths/. But what about us who are spiritual?,can we accept this doctrine ,our circumstances may be difficult,we may have experienced pain and hurt, job loss, an injustice,,there are so many things that can effect us,and cause us to doubt Gods sovereignty. It was a dear saint of God who was suffering,who wrote the following words,/Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth [Revelation 19v6]/. Let us take encouragement from the words of an old chorus, /God is still on the throne and He will remember His own, though trials may press us ,and burdens distress us, He never will leave us alone, His promise is true, He will not forget you ,God is still on the throne/. [ Dear God Help us this day no matter how difficult our circumstances are ,to believe in Your Sovereignty, in Jesus name . Amen ]

Yesterdays people. [ Philippians 3 v12-16 ]

Keep the vision burning, as we become older things begin to wear out, that goes for our sight,we eventually need glasses, so it is in the spiritual ,we begin to lessen in our spiritual desires, and the vision lessens. The desire begins to wane, we become comfortable, and set in our mould, our relationship with the Lord, grows distant, the vision,the love, the desire,is not what it should be. It is not how long we have been a Christian that matters, what is important ?,what do you think is important?, well it seems to me the important thing is, am I still pressing on, am I still sensitive to the Spirits prompting,is my love for Jesus still burning bright, is the vision still burning?. These are things that only we personally can answer,and it is vital we take them seriously.[ Dear God help us not to be yesterdays people, but to be those who are daily following after our Saviour, that our relationship is contiually up to date. Amen ]

Certainties. [ John 11]

When the great English physicist Michael Faraday was dying , some friends gathered at his bedside, and they asked him,/What are your speculations, he answered, Speculations, I have none, I am resting on certainties/. When a Christian is being buried it is with the following words,/ In sure and certain hope of the resurrection from the dead ,to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ/. In this uncertain world the Christian has a certainty ,that the world knows nothing about,a certainty for life and for death.This is based upon a person who not only said He was the resurrection and the life ,but manifested the reality of those words by conquering death Himself. The question dear reader is this ,are you resting on a certainty as to your eternal destiny?,or are you resting on spectulations?.[ Dear God we thank for Your Son Jesus , and the wonderful truth that He defeated death, and now lives in the power of an endless life, and if we but trust Him as our Saviour, we can rest on certainties, Amen ]

Relax. [ Psalm 23 ]

We appear to live in an uptight world, there is an ad on the TV, that shows people manifesting a lot of aggression as they walk along, the ad is trying to challenge drivers road behaviour. It is a very meaningful ad,and for us who drive if we have ears to hear it may do some good. Driving appears to put people under so much pressure, there are of course many things that put us under pressure. If you are a Christian find time to relax in the presence of Your Lord, read a Psalm, meditate upon it,ask the Lord to restore His peace to your inner being.Stop being hard on yourself, I believe that there are so many believers who are living under a cloud of guilt, and condemnation, even though the Bible tells us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ, today let us all relax, let us all make the words of John G Whitter are prayer today.[Dear Lord/Drop thy still dews of quiteness,till all our strivings cease, take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace,Amen]

Led by the Spirit. [ Romans 8 v 14 ]

One of the great blessings of being a Christian is ,we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, not just some Christians but all Christians.Having the Spirit ,all Christians are led by Him,Leon Morris writes, / The work of the Spirit is not an option or an extra for the advanced Christian. Being led by the Spirit is a mark of all Gods people/. So today do not feel excluded, take comfort from the comforter the Holy Spirit, and follow His leading in your life, it is a mark as a man called Earle puts it,/that we not only belong to Gods family, but we also act like we do/. Today keep in tune with the Spirit, be sensitive to His prompting, restraining,and guiding in all things./ I love that hymn by Henriette Auber/, Our blest Redeemer , ere He breathed His tender last farewell, a guide , a comforter bequeathed,with us to dwell. And His that gentle voice we hear, soft as the breath of even, that checks each fault, that calms each fear, and speaks of heaven. And every virtue we possess, and every victory won, and every thought of holiness, are His alone./ [Dear God we give You thanks that we have Your Spirit in us ,to lead, guide,comfort and strengthen us, we give You thanks in Jesus Name Amen. ]