Riches. [1 Timothy 6 ]

I have just read 1Timothy 6 and thought that I would love to preach on this chapter, it appears to deal with a wrong attitude in relation to money.There were those who thought that godliness was a way into riches,[ v5] I wonder how this ties up with the so called prosperity gospel.The fact is that many NT Christians were poor, and in their poverty they would become disheartened and discontent,so Paul emphasizes certain things,[1] that true godliness with contentment is itself great gain [6 ]. [2] The dangers of wealth v9. [3] That the love of money is an evil that can cause all sorts of problems. [4] the uncertainty of riches, here today gone tomorrow [v17]. There is nothing wrong with being rich ,many of the OT saints had great riches, but their riches did not have a hold on them.[ Dear God help me to see things from a spiritual point of veiw, especially in relation to money, in Jesus name Amen ]

24/7. [ Galations 3v3 ]

Yesterday I mentioned needs, well I dont need any more clothes I have enough to do me if I should live to 100, I dont need any food ,our cupboards ,fridge,freezers, are full. I have enough money to live on, in other words the Lord has blessed me, so what do I need? I need the Lord. Oh yes ,He is my Saviour, I am conscious of His presence everyday. But it is so easy to become complacent, to be waylaid, to start to neglect prayer, to be busy, busy , busy, to begin to live independantly from the Lord, like those we read about in the epistle of Galations. The apostle declares,/ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit,are you now being perfected by the flesh?[Galations 3v3].There is an old hymn ,which reads ,/I need Thee every hour/,thats what we need more than anything else, the Lord, a reliance on Him 24/7. [ Dear Lord Jesus forgive me for taking my eyes of You, of forgetting that it is You ,I need every hour of everyday. Amen ]

Needy world.[ Matthew 6 v19-21]

Needs and need, consider what that means, the world is full of people who have needs, we recieve literature from different organisations ,expressing their needs,we watch the news and we hear of disasters,and the cry is they need help. There is resentment at this time with all the cut backs ,that we are giving over 10 billion pounds, is a step to far.But is it? I dont think so, for all our cut backs we still are a wealthy country,it is Bill Gates one of the worlds wealthiest people, who has set up a foundation to combat global health, who declares,/ The UK,s spending on development for the worlds poorest people is the best investment that you can make for improving lives. Bar none./God wants us to look out beyond ourselves, to others in need,and to respond, as a nation and as individuals.[ Dear God help me to help people in need, to give, of my time ,talents, finance, and love, in Jesus name Amen ]

We shall not want. [ Psalm 23 ]

At this time across the land ,many are worrying, the budget announced is going to bring changes, the times they are changing, are the good times past?.As a Christian of many years I have experienced being unemployed,of living on benifites, and when I did work , my wages were small, in fact, I remember during my times in Bible college I lived by faith,and often we had no money, and no food in the house. What did we have in all those times? we had the Lord, the Lord who loves His children, who does not forsake his children when things get tough. I have never had a rich benefactor , but I have a loving heavenly Father , who ownes the cattle on a thousand hills, who has promised to supply all His chidrens needs. If fear is creeping into your heart today,repeat these words to yourself ,/The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want /[Psalm 23 v1] [ Dear God so many things we hear can cause us to worry,and we find fear taking over,Lord in all the uncertainties of life, we look to You, our Rock, in Jesus name. Amen ]

How to cope. [ Psalm 27 ]

I love the Psalms ,I love reading them ,studying them ,preaching them, I was looking at Psalm 27 this morning, and it fitted my mood, it is a Psalm by David the man after Gods own heart. David it appears had to face difficulties all his life, as a shepherd boy he faced wild beasts, he then had to face a giant, then he had to fight against the Philistines. Next he had to face the murderous intent of king Saul, then later on he had to contend with his own son who wanted to kill him. If we are a Christian, we will have to face the world the flesh and the devil, this is ongoing, the Christian life is a battle, and a challenge, none of us are going to be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease.So how are we going to make it, how are we going to cope? well how did David cope? here is the answer,/ The Lord is my light, and my salvation, whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid. [Psalm 27v1] How did he cope? the answer was the Lord ,how are we going to cope? the answer is the Lord. [ Dear Lord Jesus help me to cope with the ongoing problems of life, help me to see that no matter how big the problems are, they are not bigger than You. Amen ]

Honest to God.[Psalm 142 ]

It is one of those mornings when some things are getting me down, I feel a degree of frustration, feel like tearing up a tissue, what does one do? well I suppose we could pray nice platitudes, pretend that everything is wonderful, or I could just tell God the way I really feel. People often use the term ,honest to God, affirming their truthfulness, lets take those words into our relationship with God, lets tell Him how we really feel, let us be trully honest to God. Let us not hide just how we feel,lets us tell Him that certain things are getting us down,let us pour out our hearts to Him, He can take it, in fact He wants to take it, He wants us to stop pretending. God already knows how we feel, He knows everything, but He wants us to be open with Him, and in that open heartedness He will speak and responed, I am not talking about rebellious complaining, but about honesty in our relationship with Him. [ Dear God help me to be honest with You at all times,help me to tell You whats on my heart, the pain caused by frustrating circumstances, things that never appear to improve,in Jesus name Amen ]

Dwelling. [ Psalm 91]

In Psalm 91v1 we read,/ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty/. In these words we see that there is a place of safety, and security for all who make God their refuge, all who put their trust in Him. I must confess it does not take much to make me feel insecure, to worry and fret, when we let those feelings take over and run with them ,we loose our peace. He that dwelleth, we have a choice to make , am I going to rest in the Lord?, am I going snuggle up to Him,and let Him be my protector, my provider, my peace, the choice is ours.Let us remember in the words of Joseph Parker, that God holds the key of all unknown, and if other hands should hold the key ,of if He trusted it to me, I might be sad.[ Father in heaven, help me to never forget that You are my security,help me to live in Your presence today and always, in Jesus name. Amen ]