A mere adjective. [ John 1 v 29 ]

In a recent book by P. Yancey,he writes of what C. S. Lewis said,/We writers are not nouns, we are mere adjectives, pointing to the great noun of truth/, and Philip goes on to say,/ thousands have come to know and love that Noun including me/.I am sure you know who they are writing about, well we read in John 1 v29, these words spoken by John the baptist,/ Beohld the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world/.John was but and adjective pointing to the great noun of truth, Jesus. Today have I been an adjective pointing to the great noun of truth?, I so often feel I am not a good adjective, I point people not to Jesus but to other adjectives, and if I am doing that, then I am failing,to do what I should be doing. Our words must be adjectives, likewise our actions, and our attitudes.our whole lives must be one big adjective, pointing others to the great noun of Truth, even Jesus.
It,s all about You Jesus,
And all this is for You,
For Your glory and Your fame,
It,s not about me,
As if You should do things my way,
You alone are God,
And I surrender to Your ways.
[Paul Oakley ]
A prayer /Dear Saviour help us to be adjectives pointing others to You. Amen /

Rewards. [ 1 Corinthians 3 v 11 - 15 ]

I recieved flowers today, not from my wife, but from a grateful mother,whose son I helped, I was also given a compliment from one of my clients.It is nice to recieve these things, I dont just work for a wage, although it is important, I trully like my job, I see it as a ministry God has given me. The scripture says do all to the glory of God, and if we do then of the Lord we will recieve a reward.In the last chapter of Revelation 22v12, we read our Lord declaring, behold ,I come quickly, and my reward is with Me. It is to recieve thanks from people, yet how more wonderful to recieve from our Saviour ,His reward , and well done, a reward that is described as incorruptible. [1 Corinthians 9 v25 ]. Eternal life is a free gift [Romans 6 v23 ] but as we serve our Lord,here ,we will be rewarded, even the smallest of things we do for another, will be rewarded [Matthew 10 v 42 ]. There are many times one may not recieve any thanks from those we serve, what we do, may go unnoticed ,unappreciated ,dont fret, dont worry,your Saviour and Lord in a coming day, will declare, well done good and faithful servant.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long,
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victors song.
To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be,
He with the King of glory,
Shall reign eternally.
[G. Duffield]
A prayer. /Dear God help us serve you,to work for You,till that day when by Your grace
we recieve Your well done, we ask this in the name and for sake of Jesus. Amen/

Pray for them.[ James 5 v 16 - 18 ]

I remember a dear Christian lady who prayed much,sometimes I would ask her to pray for someone and , she would get annoyed if I would not devulge the persons name. We dont need to know all the details to pray,prayer is not an excuse to be a busy body,nor is it an excuse to satisfy our curiosity.We must respect peoples privacy,we live in a time when privacy is not respected, when cameras are everwhere, everyone is fair game, no matter how much this affects them,or their families. Everything has to be exposed,and it is,but should it be?,I dont think so,even if the person has acted foolishly, I am glad people dont know about the things I got up to in my youth.Thankfully they never will, you see the reason I came to Christ was because I was a sinner. And even as a Christian, as a father or husband, I regret some things I have done, only God knows and thats the way it should be.Although God does know ,He will keep it to Himself ,because I confessed my failures, all the wrongs I have ever committed, He has forgiven me.So coming back to prayer ,lets us begin to pray for those whose apparent wrongs have been exposed, people who have acted wrongly,or have appeared to act wrongly, let us pray not as their judges, but as those who are just as human as they are.
Lord teach us how to pray aright,
With reverance and with fear,
Though dust and ashes in Thy sight,
We may,we must draw near.
[James Montgomery ]






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Grant me. [Philippians 4 v 8 - 13 ]

I noticed that a few trees leaves are beginning to change , you see I love the summer,and so I ask the question, why can it not be summer all the year round?. I know it cant be so ,I suppose that is why people move to sunnier climes, but then I love this country, I have have been for holidays in different countries, but I do like coming home.In the end wishing will not make any difference, reminds me of that prayer ,which is good to be reminded of, it is called the serenity prayer.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Love one another. [ John 13 v 34-35 ]

I had the privilege many years ago of attending Bible college,my fellow students came from different Christian traditions,but that never was a problem,we were one in Christ.Each student knew Christ personally as their Saviour,believed the Bible to be the word of God, the fact that some were Baptists,Anglican,Pentecostal,etc,did not make any difference to us,we studied and played together,and most went on to serve God in full time Christian ministry. I was reminded of this recently when a friend of mine who is reformed in doctrine is becoming a member of a church which is not reformed. Our Lord prayed that His followers may be one[ John 17 v11],and that we should love one another[John 13 v34 -35 ]. It seems to me we can become like those early Chistians in Corinth [2 Corinthians 3],and forget that we are Christians first and foremost. So today think kindly on those who are true Christians,and yet differ with you on churh goverment,baptisim,prophecy,we can differ in all these things , but if we are evangelical and love Jesus then let us accept each other.
Blest be the tie that binds,
Our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship kindred minds,
Is like to that above.
[J . Fawcett ]
A Prayer. / Dear Lord Jesus help us to love those who differ from us in secondary things,and yet
trully love You. Amen /

Is God pleased with us?. [ Psalm 78 v 38-39 ]

There are some people one can never please, you try your best, but it is never enough, and it is never good enough.I wonder do we not think that about God ,that He looks upon us with a scowl, and no matter what we do we cannot please Him.Now of course God is not pleased when we sin, when we are mean,or unloving,no parent is happy when their children disobey them,and God our heavenly parent is no different.In Psalm 78v39 we read how God remembers that we are flesh, yes as Christians we are children of God, but we are still in this body of flesh,and God knows and understands,that we are imperfect and still loves us.I have a drawing hanging up in my home sent to me from my grandchild, it will never get into the Tates gallery, but I appreciate it, and am pleased with with my grandchilds effort. I like to think that God our Father looks on His childrens weak efforts, and is pleased with their efforts and with them as people.In Jesus we are no longer living under a cloud of condemnation, not looked upon with a scowl, but a heavenly Fathers smile.Today as we try to live for Jesus, and seek to love Him yes inperfectly,our Father in heaven is pleased with us.
A prayer. /Dear God we praise for the grace that saves us,we thank You for the fact that You love us and are pleased with as we seek to serve and love You,in Jesus name .Amen.

God moves in a mysterious way. [Romans 8 v28 av ]

Much as I love many of the modern songs, I still love the old hymns,have I a favourite? well I am not sure, there is one that means a lot to me, written by that great poet William Cowper ,and it is this one, /God moves in a mysterious way/. The theme of this hymn is the sovereignty of God, and the verse I would put over this hymn is Romans 8 v28,again I love this in the AV,/And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to His purpose/. Here is this hymn in full , William suffered from mental illness ,he attempted suicide , was put into an insane institute , and yet inspite of all this he wrote these wonderful words.
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform,
He plants His footsteps in the sea ,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines,
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints ,fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread,,
Are big with mercy , and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace,
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour,
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His works in vain,
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
A prayer. / Dear God help us to trust in Your sovereign providence ,and purposes in our lives
in Jesus name. Amen /