Hold Thou my hand.[ Isaiah 41 v10 ]

Imagine being a little child ,and you feel afraid ,you have got separated from your mum or dad, you feel all alone, you are crying ,and a big friendly police man comes along ,speaks words of assurance, says, take my hand and we will go and find your parents. This morning mybe you feel like that little child ,you are anxious, afraid, and alone ,you feel like crying,yes big people cry,even Christians of many years cry. Well this morning as I prayed, the words of a hymn, came to me,and I prayed those words,/ Hold Thou my hand, so weak I am and helpless. I dare not take one step without Thy aid. Hold Thou my hand, for then O loving Saviour. No dread of ill shall make my soul afraid./ Our Saviour said the following, that we are in His hands we are safe and secure,[ John 10 v27-30 ] that all will be well, so dry your tears, hold unto Your Saviours hands, and all will be well.[ Dear Saviour , /Hold Thou my hand ,and closer ,closer draw me . To Thy dear self, my hope, my joy,my all. Hold Thou my hand, lest haply I should wander,And missing Thee, my trembling feet should fall, Amen] [ Words of hymn G J Frances]

No second causes. [ Romans 8 v28 ]

The subject of Gods providence is very important, and important for us to think on, to realize that God who is Sovereign is managing our affairs.The old Puritans wrote much on the subject, seeking to direct our thoughts from second causes to God ,the one who is directing all the events in our lives, Richard Stibbs wrote,/ Gods providence extends to the smallest things, to the sparrow and to the hairs of our head. He governs every particular passage in our lives/.We mentioned yesterday about the seasons of our lives, in the providence of God ,we may be in a season, of sickness or health, of poverty or wealth, of promotion or demotion, as the hymn writer wrote , Every joy or trial Falleth from above, Traced upon our dial , By the Sun of love/, in the providence of God it is so, in saying this ,the hymn writer goes on to write,/We may trust Him fully , All for us to do, They who trust Him wholly ,Find Him wholly true,[Frances R Havergal] [ Dear God help me to see beyond second causes, to You ,help me to see that You are in control of all the events of my life,in Jesus name Amen]

The seasons of our lives. [ Ecclesiastes 3 v 1-8]

In Ecclesiastes 3 we read ,/ To every thing there is a season...... A time to weep, and a time to laugh/, we will all know these times. Mybe you are experiencing the time of weeping , so here is a verse for you,/ Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning [Psalm 30v5] Remember this time of weeping will pass. What about a time to laugh, yes we need to laugh, so here are two Ronnie Corbetts jokes,/ A cement mixer has collided with a prison van. Motorists are asked to look out for 16 hardened prisoners/ We have just heard that a juggernaut of onions has shed its load all over the M1. Motorists are to find a hard shoulder to cry on/.So laugh today and dont feel guilty, it is permitted. What ever season God has brought you into may you know that God loves you, and understands how you feel. [ Dear God in this life of changing seasons, we thank You, that You are with us, when we weep and when we laugh, in Jesus name we praise You Amen ]

We thank You Lord.[ Psalm 150 ]

In the bleak winter ,there are things that lighten are lives, like the woman who phoned the police because someone had stolen her snowman,or watching a repeat of last of the summer wine,or listening to a bit of nice music, or reading a nice book, or watching an old western movie. And the warm sense of Gods presence caring for us, watching over us, for His word that so often encourages us, so often He encourages just when we need it. An item on the internet blessed me it was about a young who finished a race on her hands and knees, she finished 37th but this enabled her team to win, what inspired her to keep going , was her coach, who has a serious illness, she did it for him. [ Lord there is much in this world that is bleak and dark, but we thank You for those things that bless us ,cause us to smile and laugh, and for those acts of courage and sacrifice that inspire us in Jesus name . Amen ]

Rubbish [ Psalm 139 v23-24 ]

Recently I expressed my desire to find a book written by favourite author ,and what do you think ,I found one,and have started reading it. We all have desires, for money , well the list is endless, I have a desire for a number of things, legitimate things, I have and am praying about them, will God give me the desire of my heart?.The Psalmist David had a desire for God [Psalm 27v4 ], how is our desire for God?, do we love Him, more and more ?, instead of walking with Him,or are we just paying Him fleeting visits, even those are becoming less and less. Is our vision taken up with Him ?, or is it becoming less clear. I recently had my eyes tested,the floaters in my eyes appeared to have increased, there was no serious problem , the person who tested my eyes , used the word rubbish to describe what was affecting my sight.So often it is rubbish that effects our relationship with God, it was the optician who recognised the rubbish, sometimes we dont see what is affecting our relationship with God, but we have one who does, He is the Holy Spirit, let us ask Him to reveal the rubbish in our lives, and let us also ask for the grace to deal with this rubbish.[ Dear God open my eyse to see those things that are rubbish in my life, and help me to get rid of them in Jesus name. Amen ]

Slippery places. [ Psalm 73 ]

I will try not to mention the weather,although yesterday my car could not move, I was on ice ,and my tyres just kept spinning, eventually I managed to get moving.The problem with snow it turns to ice,which makes it very slippery, which reminds me of what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 73. The Psalmist is facing a crises, he is struggling to understand why, people who dont take God into account, prosper,they are often wicked, and have no fear of God. He felt like giving up, it seemed to him ,that inspite of the fact ,he sought God,he experienced nothing but pain and heartache. I wonder do you ever think like this, you look at life and you say to yourself whats the use, you look at the many around you who dont give a thought for God, and yet they appear to get on alright, yet you struggle. The Psalmist did something very important v17 -18, he sought God, and as he did, he declares,/ Then understood I their end. Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places, Thou castest them down into destruction./ The non Christian only lives for the here and now,they do not realize that after death the judgement. [ Dear God help me not to envy the non Christian, help me to see their end is destruction, the loss of their soul, in Jesus name Amen ]

Tell them [ Romans 10 v13-15 ]

I suppose you have noticed that I have been mentioning the weather, it is something we do in this country,I wonder why?. As I grow older I find it harder at times, to know what to say to people, in other words I appear to be struggling with the art of conversation. Or mybe I am beginning to realize that ,it is better to be quite, I dont know, but I hope that I will never become so quite ,that I will not witness to others about Jesus. Yes our lives must witness for Jesus, but we must, I stress ,we must tell others about Jesus,otherwise how shall they hear?. The fact is they wont, people dont attend church services,not many, we may see them at Christmas ,at our carol services. But the vast majority of people will stay at home, and avoid us Christians, and so they will not hear, what they need to hear, the Gospel, they will not hear about Jesus, and their need of Him. People need many things,jobs, money,health the list is endless, but most of all they need Jesus, and it is our task to tell them.[ Lead me to some soul today ,help me Lord just what to say, friends of mine are lost in sin ,and cannot find their way, I ask this in Your precious name .Amen ]