No concessions. [ 2 Timothy 4 v 7- 8 ]

George Muller died in his eighties, and died quietly in his sleep, he left a wonderful testimony, to the glory of God, near the end of his life, he said on a number of occasions, that he might not disgrace the Lord in his old age, and become a wicked old man. I can identify with those remarks ,for I know that although I have a good relationship with my Lord, and have proved Him time and time again. He has blessed me in so many ways, and continues to do so, but I still experience temptations,and it would be so easy to yield to those temptations. Like George Muller I pray I might not disgrace my Lord in my old age, and become a wicked old man. The Bible reminds us that while we are citizens of planet earth,we must be on our guard, and to continually ,rely on our Lord for grace to overcome temptations, and all the difficulties we meet. The devil has no pity for the old, and will ever be looking for ways to trip us up, he gives no concessions for senior citizens. No matter how old we are, we may be as old as Methuselah, but we still need to press on to our heavenly goal.[ Dear God grant us grace in our old age ,to not digrace You, and commit some wicked thing, in Jesus name Amen ]

A Challenge. [Hebrews 11 ]

George Muller was a wonderful man of God, a man of faith and integrity ,he saw God answer prayer ,time after time in relation to the work ,God called him to.He was led to start a work among children ,so the Ashley Down orphanage came into being, and during his lifetime George prayed and God answered. He, unlike many TV evangelist ,did not make the needs of his work known,he sought to live by faith,so he prayed and God provided. It was his example that so impressed me, that many years ago, when I was married ,and had three children, to step out in faith, and go to Bible college. I found God faithful, and hath found Him so continually, there are two aspect of faith, that have lived with me, faith to recieve, and faith to give. These two aspects of faith bring with then a deep challenge, a challenge we can shy away from, they appear risky, faith will always challenges us to leave our comfort zone, may God give us grace,to embrace this challenge. [ Dear God grant us the grace to live by faith, to be prepared to take risks, and we know as we do this ,we will begin to grow like our saviour.Amen ]

Beauty . [1 Peter 3 v 3-4 ]

You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God, so writes Peter in his letter[1 Peter 3v4 ]. Although it was aimed at women it can be applied to us all, and is a timely reminder to have the right emphasis in our lives.For the vast majority of people the outward is the thing, lovely home,car,children,physical beauty, page 3 of the sun newspaper is an example, likewise the glossy magazines. Vast amount of time and effort,and finance is spent on beauty products, and plastic surgery, now let me say this, I am not saying it is wrong, to look our best, in fact I would encourage us all to make an effort in our appearance. What is vital and of more importance is that development of Christian character,a manifesting of Christian graces , has a beauty that outshines Max Factor, or a designer label. A Christlike life, is like a tree planted by the rivers of water [ Psalm 1 v 3 ], trully a thing of beauty. [ Dear God help us to manifest the lovliness of Christ in our lives. Amen ]

Run not before Him. [Proverbs 3 v5-6 ]

One of the tensions in the Christian life for me, and indeed I am sure for many Christians is to know Gods will, mybe its the important detail that throws us. For most of my Christian life , I believe God has called me to preach, the words of Jeremiah come to mind, when he declared ,His word burns in my heart like a fire. Its like a fire in my bones, I am worn out trying to hold it in, I cant do it [20 v9 ], or like Paul who declared, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel [1 Corinthians 9 v16]. The question is how and where does one fulfill this call upon ones life?there are denominational barriers, theological barriers, mybe even personal barriers,and practical barriers. It is so easy to become frustrated, and act out of those frustrations, a verse of a hymn comes to mind ,run not before Him , let Him be your guide. As I look back I can clearly see Gods leading , and thats the important thing to remember, He is leading ,and has promised to lead us[Psalm 23 v2 ] Today let us not fret or worry, our lives are in His safe hands,he will make a way, yes even where there appears to be no way, so trust Him. [Dear Lord help us to trust You to lead and guide us, as You have promised. Amen ]

Just a supporting role. [ Philippians 2 v 5-11 ]

Paul the apostle had a companion called Silas , he accompanied him on his missionary journeys ,experienced the same hardships as Paul,yet it is Paul we remember. Silas we are told was one of the chief men among the brethern [ Acts 15v22 ], we also read that he was a prophet [ v32 ], yes he was person of note, yet it appears that he played a supporting role. We will always remember with thanks the great people in the Christian church like Paul, Billy Graham, and many others, but let us remember,they had those who played vital supporting roles.Billy Graham did not do everything himself, he had a large supporting team. Being a member of a team , may not appear important but it is,no church functions on its own, Moses had his Aaron and Miriam, Elijah had his Elisha, Jeremiah had his Baruch, and our Lord had 12 apostles. All of these played supporting roles, and the part they played was vital. If we are called to be a leader, we will need those who will support us, if we are called to support let us remember that our role is vital , and that God will honour us one day, for all we have done. [ Dear God help us to carry out faithfully, whatever role You have placed us in , be it in leadership, or in a position of support, in Jesus mane . Amen .]

Pain. [ Hebrews 4 v 15-16 ]

While visiting my son and his wife I was stung by a wasp, this is the second time in my life I have experienced being stung, and let me tell you ,it was not a nice experience. When I hear of someone being stung, I will appreciate what it means, that little creature can trully inflict a lot of pain. Now we all try to avoid pain we take precutions, who likes going to the dentist? I go regularly, but I dont enjoy it, but I know that it is neccessary. Is pain neccessary? did I have to be stung by a wasp,is it necessary for our loved ones to suffer pain?,lets face it, it is painful to watch those we love suffer pain, our chidren, our aged parents. Their are many lessons we can learn from pain, and one of them is, we suddenly understand, how others feel, and our hearts go out to them in a more understanding manner. Not only do we understand ,we are more willing to help them ,to pray at a deeper level for them, to weep with them . You see that is what makes Jesus the perfect high priest, we read in Hebrews 4 v15,/ This high priest of our understands our weaknesses,for He faced all the same testings we do , yet He did not sin./ So today go to Jesus in your pain to the one who trully and fully understands, and recieve mercy and grace to help . [Dear Lord Jesus help us in our pain, we thank you for totally understanding how we feel, grant us the necessary grace we need. Amen ]

I am away this weekend, I will return Monday. every blessing