This changing scene. [ Psalm 121 ]

We live in a world of change ,this especially applies to the political scene,yesterday was an election day , who will be in goverment?. Whatever the changes in goverment, or in life, the important thing to remember that there is one who does not change, our sovereign God. When I think of change,change of job, change of circumstances,or whatever ,I can become unsettled, and anxious ,God is in control of our world , and our lives. Frances Havergal wrote a wonderful hymn, the chorus goes like this,/ Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest, finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest/.So today in a world of change, remember,in the words of that same hymn,/We may trust Him fully, all for us to do. They who trust Him wholly, find Him wholly true/. [ Dear God it does not take much to unsettle us, so help us to fully trust You to undertake for us, whatever the changes in life, in Jesus name Amen ]

Who cares? [ 1 Peter 5v7 ]

I noticed a bag of my wifes with the words ,/ Who cares/, on it, it is a good question, and is challenging, many people do care about others,I dont think there is a black and white answer to this question. It is a question we must answer for ourselves, and it is an ongoing challenge, to care, I work in what is known as the caring profession, but am I caring?. I believe God cares, He cares for everyone, the whole world, He cares for you , and He cares for me.Are we burdened today ?well here is what we can do, / Give all our worries and cares to God, for He cares about us[ 1 Peter 5v7 ], in Psalm 55v22, we read ,/Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee. [ Dear God we thank You that You care for us, we cast all our burdens upon You, and ask that You will sustain us in Jesus name Amen ]

There is an alternative to worry. [ Philippians 4v6-7 ]

Philippians 4 v6 ,reads /Dont worry about anything,are you worrying about anything right now? about your family,your health, your future, your financial needs. There is always something to worry about ,we all worry, if you dont ,I do, so here, you and I ,are being told not to worry about anything, let me stress the word anything. Next we are told to,/pray about everything/ so we have a choice, we can keep worrying ,bottling up all our fears ,loose sleep, be moody,or we can pray about those things that we are worrying about. Next we are told to, /Tell God what you need/now prayer is to be directed at God, after all , He alone is one who can help us [Psalm 120v1, reads/I took my troubles to the Lord. I cried unto Him, and He answered my prayers.] The result will be,/we will experience Gods peace, which exceeds anything we can understand/,and of course let us not forget to thank Him for answering our prayers.[ Dear Heavenly Father, you know us through and through, you know that we worry about so much,we ask that you will help us not worry ,help us to bring everything to You in prayer, in Jesus name Amen ]

No Glib answers. [ Psalms 119 v 105]

I have just found an old book in my library called,/ A mute Christian under the rod,/ by Thomas Brooks a puritan writer. The thing I like about the Puritans is how they dealt with lifes problems, they did not, give trite answers,or write glibly about suffering. We dont need trite answers when we are suffering, we need answers that will help us,that will instruct us. The puritans had Biblical answers, they were people who thought much of what Gods word taught, they meditated much on the word. They lived in different times, but there is nothing new under the sun, suffering, trials, difficulties, and death still happen, how are we to facing them?how can we cope?, are we murmuring, complaining?. Read godly mens writing, read and meditate on Gods word,and pray much. [Dear God we thank You for godly peoples ministries, help us hold fast to the truths that are taught to us by them, in Jesus name Amen ]

Past finding out.[ Isaiah 55 v 8-9 ]

I wonder what you think of the this statement ,/There are no second causes/, only God, He is the first cause in everything. Now I know I cannot fully explain this, and yet I believe it to be true, because God is sovereign, my study Bible says,/Hebrew writers do not always distinguish between primary and secondary causes/. In Romans11v33-34 the writer declares,/How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways. For who can know the Lords thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice/. All we can do is bow to His sovereign will in our lives, we are the clay , He is the potter, and the safest ground is to submit to His will in all things. [ Dear God we acknowledge that your ways are past finding out,but we also acknowledge Your way is perfect, and pray that Your will be done in our lives, in Jesus name Amen ]

Grace. [ Ephesians 2 v 8-9 av ]

The Bible tells us continually the importance of giving thanks, and just recently I found myself thinking about the grace of God, I am really grateful that I am saved by grace. I know this is something we are grateful for continually, but sometimes it becomes more meaningful, especially when we consider our failures. Yes we try to be consistant, try and try to be holy,but we inevitably fail, or even fall, and its then one realizes the importance of the Grace of God,we will always only ,be sinners saved by grace. The apostle Paul wrote, But by the grace of God I am what I am[1 Corinthians 15v10 ]. In the song by Gerrit Gustafson ,Only by grace can we enter,it ends with these words,/Lord, if You mark our transgressions, Who would stand? Thanks to Your grace we are cleansed,By the blood of the Lamb. [Dear God we praise You from the depths of our hearts for Your saving and keeping grace, in Jesus name Amen ]

No more sin.[ Revelation 21 v1-8]

As I was praying a thought came , as regards sin, that there will come a time when there will be no more sin. Consider what that means , no more murders, rapes,lies and so the list goes on, it is hard to imagine, we are so conditioned to accept the imperfect,thats the way it is ,it will never change. When God made us He did not program us to sin, He made us perfect, to live in perfect harmony with creation, and most of all with Him,Through the death of Jesus all things will one day be as they where meant to be,no disease ,no sin, it is my dream to be part of that new and perfect exsistance, a dream that will come true, for nothing can stop Gods plan and purpose. We can all be part of this wonderful eternal future by accepting Christ as our Saviour.[ Dear Father sometimes the sinfulness of our hearts, and in the world overwhelms us,but we thank You that there is coming a day in which there will be no more sin, thank You for Jesus who has made this possible Amen ]