The unwanted present. [Romans 6 v23 ]

Recently while doing a bit of decorating ,my wife and I were clearing the room and we were faced with a decision,it involved a present that we had been given,one which my wife does not like, should we keep it or get rid of it, this unwanted present. I am sure we have all been faced with this dilemma, one usually keeps it, incase the giver may ask one about it, how would one answer them,if it had been thrown out. It is in Romans 6v 23 we read,that the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, for the majority of people it seems that He is an unwanted present,and most dont give a thought as to the offence they are giving God. They fail to appreciate the cost and worth of that gift,and that in a coming day they will be asked, what did they do with Jesus?, and if they have rejected Him, He will reject them, with the solemn words, depart from me[ Matthew 7v23][ Dear God we thank You for the gift of Your Son, we pray that today, many will accept Him ,Amen ]

Feet of clay. [Romans 3 v23/6 v23 ]

One of my all time favourite radio programs is ,Desert Island Disc, I usually listen to it in my car, it is often very revealing, as to those who appear on it. The latest one I heard had a famous footballer ,sharing his favourite music, and his personal history, I really admired his honesty. This footballer had played for a top football club, and his country, humanly speaking he had it made, I am sure he was the idol of many, yet he admitted to feeling very insecure, and afraid all his life, he was a recovering alcoholic, been sent to prison for drunk driving. The fact of the matter is, those people who are rich and famous ,are but people, with feet of clay,whether we are rich and famous, or poor and a so called nobody we all have the same need ,Jesus. [Father help us not to put anybody on a pedestal,to see them as they really are flawed human beings, they are as we are, sinners, Amen]

Am I a prisoner?. [ John 8 v 32-36 ]

While on holiday we visited York,and I noticed outside the cathedral, a cage with two young men in it,my curiosity drew me to it,the two young men were staying in their cage to emphasize,that people are prisoners,and that they need to be set free from their sin, by Jesus. The prophet Isaiah wrote of Jesus as one who would,/Open the blind eyes, bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house[42v7]/ The world is continually crying out about freedom, from poverty, freedom of speech, the list goes on, these are all reminders that man for all his advancements, is far from free.Our Saviour has come to bring true freedom, a freedom that sets people free from their sin, and its consequences,let us make no mistake ,the best of us, are slaves to our sinful natures,and there is only one remedy,the Lord Jesus. William Sleeper wrote the following words,/Out of my bondage ,sorrow and night, Jesus I come, Jesus I come. Into Thy freedom , gladness and night,Jesus I come to Thee/. [ Dear God thank You that through Your Son we can know true freedom, Amen ]

We are not clones. [Joshua 1 ]

Moses had died, and now Joshua is the new leader, what an act to follow,poor Joshua, people would always be comparing him with Moses. They would be saying ,Moses would not have done it that way,but them , he is not Moses, he is Joshua, we are not meant to be like our predecessors, we are to be ourselves, thats the way God meant it to be. I have five sons ,they are all different,they have different personalities, strengths , weaknesses, gifts, thats the way God made them. God has no favourites, he loves us equally, and has made us as we are, He does not want us to live in the shadow of others, He wants us all to feel that we are loved, God tells Joshua, /As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.[Joshua 1 v5 ] [ Dear God we thank You for making us as we are , that we are not clones, but individuals with our own personalities,gifts and abilities,help us, and use us as You will, in Jesus name, Amen ] [ I am on holiday for a week , so no blog]

Follow Me. [ John 10 v27 ]

Follow Me says Jesus, in fact He said it many times, and He keeps saying it many times to me,when He saved me, when He restored me ,in fact He says it everyday to me, and to you. Everyday brings with it the challenging words of our Saviour, follow Me, these words mean just that, following Him, I stress the word Him, not the crowd, not the changing fashion of this world, or even our own ideas , but Him. People are usually following something or someone, , Jesus says follow Me, am I prepared to do this today?, following Him will involve a cost,it will often involve being misunderstood, being criticized, but it brings with it the challenge to love, to sacrifice,and it is the path of blessing. [ Dear Saviour help us to follow you today ,Amen ]

Dont do it. [ Matthew 7 v 1-5 ]

In Matthew 7 our Saviour tells us something ,we need to be reminded of continually ,judging others, He says we are not to do it, He illustrates the point, in v3,which reads,And why worry about the speck in your friends eye, when you have a log in your own.I listen to some people criticising other peoples children, and I remember what they were like as children. Lets be honest none of us were perfect children, and none of us had perfect children, likewise none of us were perfect parents,I cringe when I think of my lack of parenting skills. People will be judging others for their driving, judging we are all into it to some degree, listen to Jesus ,dont do it, and He says if we do ,we will be judged. [ Dear God help us not to judge others, help us to pray more for others, help us to treat others as we would like to be treated, in Jesus name Amen ]

Humor [ Proverbs 15 v13-15 ]

Humor is something that can be such a blessing if it is not hurtful, my wife wears a mask over her eyes at night , so I asked her was she joining the lone ranger club, or even Zorro,s. she had just woken up so mybe she didnt appreciate my comments. I try to tell jokes, I say try, but not everyone appreciates my humour, sometimes I tell a joke or say something humourist and it back fires on me. We do need those people who make us laugh, thats why they are so popular, humor can be used in many ways ,to diffuse tense situations,to lift someones spirit. I always turn to the cartoon strip in the paper,recently I saw one that made me laugh,it goes like this,/A mans will was being read out,it read/ I being of sound mind and a believer in reincarnation ,I leave everything to my self. [Let me say I dont believe in reincarnation] Dear God we thank you for those people who make us laugh, grant that today we may brighten someones life,in Jesus name Amen]