Lose not heart. [ Psalm 27 ]

There is a hymn by Frederick W Faber that is very meaningful,it is written to those who may be struggling in Christian service.Although we are all called to serve, so mybe it is for us all,it reads,/Workman of God,O lose not heart,But learn what God is like, And in the darkest -field, thou shalt know where to strike. Ah, God is other than we think, His ways are far above. Far beyond reason,s height, and reached only by childlike love. He hides Himself so wondrously, As though there were no God. He is least seen when all the powers of ill are most abroad. Thrice blest is he to whom is given the instinct that can tell . That God is on the field, when He is most invisible. For right is right, since God is God,and right the day must win. To doubt would be disloyalty, to falter would be sin./ [ Dear God help me to look beyond my natural sight, to pierce through the darkness ,to see You, and to trust in You, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Marriage. [ Colossians 3 v18 - 19 ]

And so they lived happily ever after, so ends the words of the fairy tale, is that possible?,I remember working with a man ,who said he and his wife never ,had fall outs.To me that seems impossible ,for some it may be,but for the majority of people it is not,I wonder how many people really think about the vows they make,/Forsaking all others,For better for worse,for richer for poorer,in sickness and in health/. They are very challenging words, not light words, not trivial words , they bring a life long challenge,when you make those vows you have to realize that there is no get out clause. Many people are breaking these vows, I am not judging them, but I would say, if you are thinking of entering marriage,consider carefully what you are going to do,and if you are married and struggling, remember what you vowed before God. [Father help those who are about to enter into marriage , and help those who are already married,in Jesus name .Amen ]

The accusing finger [Job 1]

We visited one our sons and his wife yesterday, it was not just a social visit, I had been asked by my boy to wallpaper, just two walls. Now wallpapering is not one of my favourite activities, for one thing I dont feel very confident in doing it, I am never sure how it will turn out. So I started the wallpapering praying asking God to help,at one time I found myself saying to God,how it was Him and I ,doing this,and then jokingly, I added if I get it wrong I will blame You Lord.This made me laugh and I hope it made the Lord smile,but there is a more serious aspect to my joke, people do blame God, the world is full of people pointing their accusing finger at Him.The reasons for this are many, but in the end misjudged, and wrong, simply because it a is a cry of unbelief,better to be silent and to trust,let us never forget whatever wrong there is in this world ,God is not at fault, in time He will put everything right,in time He will sort out this mess, in time we will understand. [Dear God help me to trust You, help me to refrain from pointing an accusing finger at You,in Jesus name Amen ]

How can I cope? [ 2 Corinthians 12 v 7ff]

It is funny the things one still remembers like a question asked in a quiz many ,many years ago,my team got it wrong,the question was,what are the last words in the book of Revelation?. the answer is ,/The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen./ Paul ends his epistle to the Philippians with the same words. It is significant that both John and Paul were experiencing trials at that time, Paul was a prisoner, John an exile,and in their difficult situations, they emphasize the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.Mybe the people they were writing to had problems,difficulties,how could they face them?, how could they come through them?. Before I answer let me share something I have read about the suffering of some Christians in North Korea at this time,I recieved this information from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. /Stories are coming out of N/ Korea of Christians being crushed under steamrollers, herded of bridges, and in prison camps being publicly trampled underfoot by guards and then by coerced prisoners until they die/.Now let me answer the question as to how the Christians in NT times coped with their difficulties, and the Christians in N/Korea cope, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The answer for all of us ,as we are faced with difficulties, is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.[ Dear Lord Jesus we ask for an abundant portion of Your all sufficent Grace, so that we may glorify You in all our trials .Amen ]

Waiting and walking.[Hebrews 11v5 ]

I was thinking of the words ,/pray without ceasing/ [1 Thessalonians 5v17], I wonder what you think of those words,is it possible to pray without ceasing?. I see it as an exhortation, something we are to aim at,we may not achieve what it says,but we can try. There are many exhortations in the Bible which we may find hard to fulfill but we are to try,and in our trying we will be blest. We must be careful not to let our walk with God become to ridged, a quite time is important,a time when we pray and read the word of God, yes let us wait upon God, but let us also walk with Him, throughout our day. The old testament saint Enoch did this [Genesis 5v22/ Hebrews 11v5 ] he walked with God ,let us follow his example, let us walk today with God,and if we do, who knows what we may experience, we will be blessed and we will be a blessing to others,of that I am sure.[ Dear God help me to wait upon You, but also help me to walk with You throughout this day in Jesus name Amen ]

Little things mean a lot.[ 1 Corinthians 5 v 6-7 ]

The words of an old song comes to mind, little things mean a lot, and this is very true, in Cliff Richards account of his life, he mentions how is father lived with the old truth, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. It is a good practice, there are other things that stress the importance of little things, like a stitch in time saves nine. In 1 Corinthians 5v6 we read ,know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?, we may not be aware of the process of leaven,but we may be aware of what tiny sweetener tablets do. They are ever so small yet they will sweeten a bowl of porridge, or a mug of tea,what we are been taught, is that even a so called little sin can have devastating effects on us, on churches, on families. Let none of us underestimate the affect of sin in any shape or size, let us forsake all sin, no matter what the cost, for the cost of not dealing with it can destroy us and others.[ Dear God grant me the grace to forsake anything thats tainted or evil, in Jesus name Amen ]

Faithful to the end.[ 2 Timothy 4 v7-8 ]

The seasons are changing, I noticed that the leaves on the trees are changing colour,autumn has arrived, the days are shorter, we do have occasional sunny days. I often think that our lives are like the seasons,I suppose I am in that season called old age,I am reminded of this by the different ailments I have, I wont bore you with them,but they are increasing. I am not too concerned about the season I am in, it is a time when one reflects on life, and remembers, and yes I still want to serve God, I want to end my life in His service. I want to say with the apostle, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. [2 Timothy 4 v7 ] J E Bode wrote, O Jesus I have promised to serve Thee to the end, that is my desire, I hope and pray that it is yours .[ Dear God help me to be a faithful servant of Yours, all the days of my life ,in Jesus name Amen ]