Bin Laden .[ Luke 13 1 v1- 5 ]

So Bin Laden is dead the man behind the murder of thousands of people, many of us remember that day when those planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, the wickedness of such and act. The sorrow it caused, the pain which many feel to this day, to some extent justice has caught up with him, I dont rejoice at any persons death, be it Hitler, or Bin Laden. But evil must be judged, those who do wrong must be held to account, it was our Lord who spoke of certain people who died in Luke 13 v1-5. He spoke of two lots of people,who had died violent deaths, the general consensus was, that they had died because of their wickedness, and deserved what they got,but Jesus turns this into an opportunity, to tell His hearers an important truth, here is what He said,/ Do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem.? I tell you no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish./Bin Laden was a sinner, but so are we, everyone of us,we need to appreciate that we will all be judged by a Holy God, unless we repent of our sin , and trust Jesus to forgave us. Here is a prayer you may pray. [ Dear God I acknowledge my sin , grant me the grace to repent,and to trust Jesus as my Saviour. Amen ]

Eternity . [ Hebrews 11v 13 - 16 ]

As I sat down to write I hear the words of a song,/ a stranger, in a strange land/,these words remind me of Hebrews 11v13, which is about those believers who died in faith. These people of faith saw beyond this world to a heavenly homeland, a place more excellent than planet earth. This faith vision filled their lives, and hearts, their focus was not on the temporal, but on the eternal . In chapter 12 we are exhorted to look to Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. In exhorting us to look to Jesus we are being encouraged to follow His example, to look beyond this life , to a glorious homeland,where we will live and reign with Christ. None of these people sought to escape this life, nor should we,like them we have been brought into exsistence for a purpose,to glorify God. May all of us live in the light of eternity, glorify God in the light of eternity,honour God in the light of eternity. Eternity is not an escape clause,but rather a reason for living ,for Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us , even our blessed Lord Jesus.[ Father in Heaven, help us to glorify You in the light of eternity in Jesus name. Amen ]

My times are in Thy hand.[ Psalm23]

Let us continue to consider Psalm 31 and verse 15,/ My times are in Thy hands,in saying this he is reminding himself that there are no second causes,not circumstances, not even in his own hands. In a world that appears out of control, the eye of faith declares,my God is in control,and so I can have confidence, that all will be well[Romans 8 v28 ].I recently purchased an ornament, it is of a large hand, and two people are sitting on it, and it is called,/in safe hands/.Is this not what David was saying ,inspite of all he was going through, he was in safe hands,he was trusting God with his future and his here and now.Our Saviour told us that no one can pluck us out of the hands of our heavenly Father [John 10v29 ],today child of God remind yourself that you are in safe hands. Whatever changes may come into our lives,we are in safe hands, come what may,hands that will keep us safe ,all the days of our lives. Henry F.Lyte wrote, /My times are in Thy hand. My God I wish them there..... My times are in Thy hand. Why should I doubt or fear? A Fathers hand will never cause, His child a needless fear. My times are in Thy hand. Jesus the crucified. Thy hand my cruel sins have pirced, Is now my guard and guide/. [ Dear God we rejoice that our times are in Your sovereign hands, so help us trust and not be afraid, in the name of Jesus . Amen]

Confidence. [Psalm 23 ]

Lets continue thinking of the words of Psalm 31, lets consider v5 /Into Thy hands I commit my spirit/let us remember the context , these words reveal the seriousness of his situation, he felt he could possible die, so if this happened, he was committing his eternal well being to his God. This is a statement of faith, a statement that our Lord Jesus declared on the cross,just as He was about to die [Luke 23 v46]. Death for many is the great unknown,and for many it is something that they dont thing about, we hear that many people are living longer,and we all expect to live longer,this can lull us into a false security.Death may be the great unknown for many ,but for David it held no fear[ Psalm 23v4]. David had no fear of death because His faith was in the Lord [Psalm 23v1],and so with total confidence He committed His spirit to God.Jesus came and died that we could have eternal life, so with the apostle Paul we can with confidence declare, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. [1 Corinthians 5 v8 ]. Henry F. Lyte wrote,/Where is deaths sting? where grave thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide,[ I love the closing verse of this wonderful hymn] Keep Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes. Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heavens morning breaks, and earths vainshadows flee. In life, in death, O Lord abide with me./[ Dear God we thank for Jesus Your dear son ,who died that we may live,and that when we trust Him ,we can face even death with confidence. Amen ]

Close to Thee. [ Psalm 23 ]

I thought on those wonderful words from Psalm 31v 14-15, which read ,/Thou art my God. My times are in thy hands/. These words were written by David in a time of trouble,David had to contend with so many things, lions, bears, giants, king Saul, a disgruntled wife, a rebellious son , the death of his three sons. Inspite of all of these things, David had a relationship with God , and that relationship sustained him, there where times when he was overwhelmed by sorrow,but in his God he found comfort and strength. Whatever we are facing let us take encouragement from David, that the one thing that will sustain us is ,our relationship with our God,and our Saviour. Anna L. Waring wrote, In heavenly love abiding ,no change my heart shall fear,and safe in such confiding, for nothing changes here. The storm may roar about me,my heart may low be laid, but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?. [ Dear God help me cling to You,to walk with You, to talk with You ,come what may,in Jesus name ,we ask this . Amen ]

Understanding the scriptures.[ 2 Timothy 3 v15- 17 ]

It is so vital that we have an understanding of what the scripture says, it is not enough to read the scriptures, there must be an understanding of them. The Bible is not just a telephone book, it is the word of God,it is not just enough to memorise the word of God. The religous people at the time of Jesus ,knew the scriptures, but failed to understand them,they did search the scriptures, but missed the most important part, that Jesus was the Messiah. [John 5 v 39 ]. In Psalm 119 v27, we read ,/Help me to understand the meaning of your commandments/,when I am going to preach I study the scriptures,seeking to convey the meaning of the scriptures to my hearers. I have many commentaries on the bible, written by godly people,they can help us ,understand Gods word. I attend a church where Gods word is taught ,and explained this is very important, but the person in the pew , must attempt to feed themselves. [ Hebrews 5 v12-14 ] This may appear a difficult task, but we have a helper, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth. [ Dear God help us to read,and study Your word,and above all else ,help us to understad it, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Consider your end. [ Psalm 1 ]

So often the Psalmist contrasts those who know God and live for Him,and those who dont,it acknowledges that the latter may prosper, cp Psalm 73, and that the former may suffer loss. Today there are godly people and they are suffering,they are poor, they are persecuted, they are hated ,and despised, you will not see them in Hello magazine. Our Saviour said ,Blessed are they which are persecuted ....blessed are ye ,when men shall revile you, and persecute you,and shall say all manner of evil against falsely, for my sake [Matthew 5 v 10-11]. In Psalm 37 v37 -38 the two groups are highlighted, /Mark the perfect man[ those who know God and are seeking to follow Him]and behold the upright,[ they are seeking to live a godly life ] for the end of that man is peace. [Glory, eternal life] . But the transgressors [ those who live without the fear of God ]shall be destroyed together,the end of the wicked shall be cut off./ We should always take into account the end of a thing, so many dont, and the end ,sadly of the many ,will be a lost eternity. [ Dear God open the eyes of us all ,to our end,so teach us to number our days,that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom, in Jesus name Amen ]