The travelling people. [ Hebrews 11v 8-16 ]

The only way for the Christian is forward, if we are Christians there can be no going back or even looking back [ Luke 9 v62 ],onward ever onward must be our motto, we are strangers and pilgrims ,[Hebrews 11v 13 ]. We have Jesus saying these words Follow Me, if we are following we are on the move, though none go with us ,still we must follow. We are travellers on a journey, and our destination is heaven,people on the move, the book by John Bunyan , Pilgrims progress, illustrates the nature of the journey we are on, do read it.The first thing we must do on our Journey is to keep our eyes on Jesus,[ Hebrews 12 v 2], next we must persevere, this is set out in a hymn by J. Bunyan, which reads,/ He who would valiant be , gainst all disaster, let him in constancy follow the Master. There,s no discouragement shall make him once relent , his first avowed intent to be a pilgrim./[ Dear God grant me the grace I need this day , and every day to follow Thy Son Jesus . Amen ]

Comfort zones. [ Deuteronomy 32 v 9 -12 ]

A bit foggy last night here, sometimes life is like a fog, we cannot see anything because of circumstances, or things dont appear very clear,its a bit like that at this time for me, as I will leave my present church at the end of December. I keep trying to peer into the future ,will I cease to minister on a regular bases?what church will I attend? at this time all is like a dense fog, and I am trying to stay calm. I read this recently,/ God requires His followers ,and those who seek Him, to step outside of their comfort zones.[From a Poem a day]Many of Gods servants had their comfort zones, and were reluctant to step out of them,Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, Peter and many others, we are no different than them, we have our comfort zones. At this time I am being pushed out my comfort zone,again another quote from ,a poem a day,/ May we never allow security to hinder our obedience to God.[ Dear Lord help me to move in obediece to Your will, help me see that I must not cling to anything other than You, for only in You ,and in Your will is true security,Amen]

A time for running. [Genesis 39 ]

There is a place for running away ,and a place for standing, when we are in moral or spiritual danger we need to run ,like Joseph [ Genesis 39 ],unfortunately some people appear to run into moral ,and spiritual danger. In 2 Timothy 2v22 we are told to flee youthful lusts, if one tarries one is in danger, Lot and his wife were told not to look back[ Genesis 19v17],his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt[ v26],mybe she was curious, or mybe her heart was still inclined towards those evil places, and their evil way of life. Better to have heeded God, we are always better heeding God, to not play with fire ,for if we do ,we shall be burnt. In these days when the majority are doing whats right in their own eyes, there will be a price to pay,sin always carries with it serious consequences.As Christians we should know this ,but like so many things, there is often a gulf between the knowing and the doing.[ Dear God lead us not into temptation, deliver us from all evil, in Jesus name . Amen ]

I forgot.[ Psalm 137 ]

As I was looking at things on my PC ,I forgot about the bread I had put under my grill, I rushed to retrieve it,fortuonately it had not reached the burnt offering stage, so I was still able to eat it,and I enjoyed it. It brought to mind a certain English king who burnt some cakes,forgetting is something we all do, I have a good excuse being a senior citizen.Israel is warned by Moses not to forget [Deuteronomy 4v9], unfortuonately their history was one of forgetting, God and His commandments ,so God had to deal with them continually. Our Saviour told us to remember Him in communion, in breaking of bread and drinking of wine, have you done this recently?. One of the reasons I cannot stay in my present church,is I do not believe that people should be barred from the table because they have not been immmersed in water, now of course I am a Baptist, but I recognise that many people who are not immersed,are Christians, just as much as I am, and they have a right to remember their Lord, as He commanded.I believe that as the hymn writer puts it,that, we can make Gods Love to narrow by false limits of our own, and we magnify His srictness with a zeal He will not own. [ Dear God help me not to forget You ,and help me to not put barriers up in relation to other Christians, in Jesus name Amen ]

Love is not a game.[ 1Corinthians 13 ]

I heard someone say,/love is not a game/,the old song, reminds us that so many moonlight kisses seem to cool in the light of the sun. To love ,is the most challenging thing in the whole world,it will take everything we have to love, while our God is a consuming fire [Hebrews12 v 29] we are told that He is love[ 1 John 4v8 ]He is comsumed with love for you and me, the old hymn declares , /O the Love that drew salvations plan/.To save mankind it meant love in the fullest measure, a love that words are so inadequate to describe, every day God witnesses so much hate ,lust,selfishness, His commandments are broken continually, in mans natuaral state, he acts worse than an animal, but of course He is not animal. Yet God continues to love, and continues to reach out to mankind, inspite of their deliberate rejection of Him, consider His love ,in Philippians 2 v8, we read that Christ became obedient unto death even the death on a cross, yes truly, love is not a game.[ Dear God for Your love to me ,I thank You, that love that saved me, that is so on going,help me to to love like You, in Jesus name Amen ]

God loves to surprise us. [ Psalm 30 v5 ]

Life can so often throw up surprises, I am listening to Susan Boyle, a lovely singer ,one who has has become a world star,who would have thought it. As we read the Bible we see surprises all the time, nobodies raised to be kings, a young lad defeats a giant,fishermen, tax collectors raised to be apostles,angels suddenly appearing to people,pensioners having children.God manifest in the flesh in the form of a little baby, now that trully is a surprise,to Mary and Joseph it must have been a big surprise.I like to think of God as the God of surprises,the fact that I have lived for 66years, thats a surprise, I was ever so small when I was born, and when I was a youngster I was rescued from drowning, but the greatest surprise is that I am a Christian,and have been following the Lord for 46yrs. Let hope burn in our hearts today,God can surprise us, financial needs can be met,sickness can be healed,a door into employment can open, God is the God of surprises, so dont despair. [Dear God help me not to despair , no matter how difficult it is, let hope arise in my heart, and help me to trust in You, the God who loves to surprise me, in Jesus name .Amen ]

Never out of His sight.[ Genesis 16 v13 av]

The choice of David is interesting, a young man in an obscure occupation, out on his own ,each day, looking after sheep, no one could have guessed , including himself ,that he was destined for greatness. The only one who knew about this young man was God, His destiny lay in Gods hands , God had a plan that would take Him from the place of obscurity, to be king. Many of Gods choices saints have come from obscure places, places of humble activity, David Livingstone, John Bunyan, and yet God saw them and raised them up,to serve Him. The point of this ,is none of Gods children are hidden from Him , be they in the most obscure of places, we may not be raised to be a king, but we are the children of a King ,Jesus. He has not forgotten us, as the hymn writer wrote, /His eye is on the sparrow , and I know He watches me./ [ Dear God I thank You that You have not forgotten me, that I am never out of Your sight,and that You will always care for me, I pray this in Jesus name. Amen ]