Time to start gardening.[ Psalm 90 v17 av ]

It is that time of the year when we start working in the garden, putting new plants in, weeding. Nice gardens dont just happen, it takes a bit of thought, a bit of expense, and a bit of effort, in other words if you want a nice garden , there is a cost. This is not unlike the Christian life, lf we want to be more like Jesus there is a cost, we need to root out the weeds, roots of bitterness ,that can mar our lives, get rid of the rubbish,that we have allowed to accumulate. The words of Psalm 139 v23-24 ,comes to mind,/Search me , O God, and know my heart,test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life./ As God answers this prayer, let us then start gardening. [ Dear God grant that these lives of ours may be objects of Christlike beauty in Jesus name Amen ]

Keep right on to the end of the road. [2 Timothy 4 v6 - 8 ]

I am 66yrs of age, but the thing is this, the challenge of the Christian life does not change, I still have to face temptation, still have to be holy, still have to live for Jesus. I have not reached the finish line yet,I cannnot put my feet up,the fact of the matter is, there is no retirement age for the Christian, it is a life long commitment. That means I still have to rely on Jesus everyday, I still have to pray, still have read the word of God, even though I may have read it a hundred times.It would be tragic to fail after all these years, to not finish, to give up,so let us all renew our commitment, to press on to to the end, by the grace of God. [ Dear God help us to persevere and to never give up, help us to keep right on to the end of the road ,in Jesus name Amen ]

Saved. [ Acts 16v31 ]

I have just heard that my daughter-in- laws sister, has trusted the Saviour, and been baptised,it all happened so suddenly, or so it appears. But the fact of the matter is ,my son and his wife have been praying, talking and witnessing to her for a number of years. They have sown now they are reaping,let us remember our labours are never in vain in the Lord, as we sow into peoples lives so there will be a reaping. Let us be faithful, prayerful,and watchful,today,God is still in the business of saving people, it can happen, God can surprise us, think of the apostle Paul, who would have thought he would have become a Christian, but by Gods Grace he did.[ Dear God we thank you for saving my daugther-in -laws sister, we ask that we may see You saving many more people, in Jesus name Amen]

We are all tarred with the same brush. [Romans 3v23 ]

In Luke 7 v36-50, we read of an incident, where Jesus had been invited for a meal by a man called Simon, he was a Pharisee, a member of a very strict group, the Pharisees had a them and us mentality. The Pharisees judged people,and would stay away from anyone considered in their eyes sinful, they sought to impose their ideas on Jesus. Now of course our Saviour was not a Pharisee,He declared ,that He had not come into the world to condemn the world[ John 3 v17 ], this is demonstrated in so many places within the Gosples.The purpose of Jesus coming is to save, not to condemn, He will judge one day all those who have refused to accept Him [ Acts17 v31]. It is so easy for us to be like the Pharisees, to judge others as being sinners, and forgetting the truth that we are all without exception sinners,we must not exclude anyone from the grace of God.[ Dear God help us to not raise a wall of partition between us and others, help us to faithfully seek to reach everyone with the Gospel, in Jesus name Amen ]

The day of small things.[ John 6 v 9 ]

Recently I attended an evening of listening to a choir, as the choir leader stood up to begin ,she said, pity there are so few here. I appreciate her disappointment, yet I felt that it was inappropiate, what she said, for a number of reasons,most of all it limited the power of God. Yesterday I was preaching and there was only six people present, so what, they all need as I do to hear Gods word, to be encouraged, and among the six was a little boy,who knows he might have heard something what I said, applied by the Holy Spirit, and he may have trusted the Saviour. This is the day of small things, let us not be discouraged, let us be faithful, let us keep on praying, let us trust in our God to work in the lives of needy souls.[ Dear God help us to not be discouraged in these days of small things, keep us faithful, in Jesus name Amen ]

Easter [ John 3 v16 ]

What does Easter mean to you? it means that we are remembering the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, I read this poem by, Joanna Fuchs,/ If not for Easter the Chaos of this world would be all there is, and all there ever would be. If not for Easter the unfairness of life would drive us to despair./Easter makes a difference , I remember forty six years ago as a young man attending a service on Easter Sunday, hearing the message and being restored, if it was not for Easter that would never have happened. Easter is a historical fact, but it is more than that, it is about a Saviour who died for sinners, a Saviour who is alive now , and who saves to the uttermost ,all who call upon Him, as J Fuchs also writes, Jesus death and reurrection means we can be reborn to live better, to do better, to shine light into darkness. Hallelujah. Happy , Happy Easter.[ Dear God we thank You for Easter, we pray that many will personally embrace Him who died and rose again, even Jesus Your Son , Amen ]

Sweet hour of prayer. [ Hebrews 4 v 12-13 ]

Lastly let us consider, William Walford,a blind preacher,and shop owner,the hymn he is remembered for ,was initially a poem that was turned into a hymn.It is called ,Sweet hour of prayer, it lays a stress,on a number of things about prayer,that prayer can be a sweet refuge from the cares of life, a place of unloading our burdens, a place where we recieve grace to help in all our times of need, and above all else a place of sweet communion with our Saviour. We may need many things today, but the thing we most of all need ,is to spend time in prayer ,with our Lord, we forfeit so much , when we neglect the place of prayer. Here is a verse from this lovely hymn,/ Sweet hour of prayer,sweet hour of prayer,That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Fathers throne, Make all my wants and wishes known, In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief, And oft escaped the tempters snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer./[ Dear God we thank You for prayer, help us to make it a priority in our lives in Jesus name Amen ]