My times are in His hands. [Psalm 121 ]

Last week while I visited a shopping area,I was crossing the road, I could see a car waiting to pull out, I did not anticipate any danger,but suddenly the car car came right at me,on reflection they had not seen me, but fortunately before I was hit, the car braked.I must confessed It shook me up I do believe the driver was at fault, but the most important thing was I escaped being hurt,or even killed. As I reflect on my life I can think of the times I have been spared injury and yes even death.In Psalm 97 v 10, we read, /He preserveth the souls of His saints/,I am 68 years of age how have I lived so long?,consider the possibilities in life that could destroy us,illness, travel,the list is endless, the only conclusion is ,that God in His mercy has preserved us. As a child of God I believe my times are in His hands, all my times, that includes life and death, I will not die until He chooses.W.F. Lloyd wrote
My times are in Thy hands,my God I wish them there.
My life,my friends, my soul I leave, entirely to Thy care
A prayer...../Dear God we praise You that our times are in Your hands,in Jesus name Amen.

The unexpected. [1 Peter 3 v15 ]

I was on the phone talking to a young man called Alec,I was seeking to renew our home insurance, and I was very happy with the quote he gave me. He was asking me for my bank details ,and he asked me how was my name appeared on my debit card,I told him it was the ,Rev W . A. Heasley.He was surprised at this, but it opened the way to an interesting conversation,when I was able to witness to him,about being a Christian.He mentioned that he had studied a bit about Christianity, at university, and he had a friend who said he had a revelation that changed his life,when he became a Christian.I said that people dont all have the same experience in becoming a Christian. I stressed that there is a simplicity in coming to Christ , and told him how Jesus stressed the importance of becoming as a little child, and thats when I first trusted Jesus. I said a few other things and he thanked me,it is lovely whan Christ gaves one the opportunity to witness to someone unexpectedly, do pray for that young man that he may come to know the Saviour

A prayer..../ Dear God help to be always ready to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus, and we pray for Alec that You would save him, in Jesus name Amen /.

His way. [2 Corinthians 5 v14-15 ]

In 2 Corinthians 5 v15 we read that one of consequences of Christ dying for us that we should no longer live unto ourselves, but unto Him.Peter is told there would come a time when he would experience a dying in a way which he would not naturally want,he died by crucifixion.We as Christians may not want the path our Saviour chooses for us to go, but if that the path He is calling us to walk then, then that is path we must walk. As one considers the full implications of not living for ourselves,the sacrifices it calls us to make, of forgiving 7 times 70,of giving financially,of coping with pain,and painful people,it would be easier to walk away.There are so many things in life that come into our lives,like looking after an elderly loved one,when the rest of the family dont help. Ministering to, yes even to saints who dont appear to appreciate what we do,or have done for them,of not appreciating the sacrifices one has made,of being booted out of your church and ones home. Remember just in case we have forgotten, it is the way of the cross that leads home,it was for our Saviour, and it must be for us.

A prayer ......./Dear Lord grant us the grace to enable us to live unto You. Amen/

The greatest challenge. [ 1 Corinthians 9 v24-27 ]

I believe to live the Christian life is a great challenge, to love as we should[ 1 Corinthians 13],to walk with God as Enoch did [ Genesis 5 v24/Hebrews 11v5 ], to serve God as our Savior did[John 13], to be holy as we are instructed to be[2 Peter 3 v11]. Yes the Christian life is a tremendous challenge, it is ungoing, until the day we die,the challenge will remain,if we let down our guard ,we will suffer, the enemy will take an advantage of our laxness and cause us harm. That is why we are instructed to pray without ceasing[1 Thessalonians 5 v17 ],prayer is vital , as it was for our Saviour,consider if He needed to pray,then we need to pray.We pray not to tell others, or for our glorification, but for our spiritual well being,and our relationship with our Saviour. We need to read the Bible, for in this world, we can so easily be decieved,Gods word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path[ Psalm 119 v105 ]. Many people are challenged to do many things,like climb mountains,sail around the world single-handed,as Christians we face a greater challenge, that of being a Christian.

A prayer...../ /Dear God grant us the grace we need to live this challenging Christian life, in Jesus name Amen /

The poor.[ Psalm 41 v1 ]

I smiled when I read the following, by Miss Piggy,/never eat more than you can lift,/eating is our favourite activity , some live to eat,others eat to live. In this country we dont hear of people going hungry,but for many in this world, hunger is a daily experance, we throw away more than they eat.I remember a lady telling me about her uncle who had been in a concentration camp,she said he would not waste any food.If you like me, live in a country were food is plentiful for all, give thanks to God for the fact that you never go hungry. One of the benefits of fasting is, it helps you understand ,what it is like to feel hungry,and to some degree you can understand the feelings of those who suffer hunger. Also you can begin to give help to those in need, by giving regulary, to charties, who work among the poor and deprived. Also pray for those missions who want to genuinely help the poor, and also seek to tell people about Jesus.

A prayer...../Dear God we thank You for the many blessings we enjoy, help us to bless others as You have blessed us in Jesus name Amen /

Man know thyself. [1 Corinthians 10 v12 ]

I find the words of James very instructive [1 v19 ],/ let every man be swift to hear,slow to speak,slow to wrath/. Note, it includes all of us, reminding all of us that we are all without exception liable to fail in this, the word of God warns us all,/let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall/. Sometimes we are foolish to judge and condemn others for their failings,when we ourselves are guilty, of the same offence. Our Saviour warned us not to judge others,if we do we will be judged,when we judge others we are blinded by pride,failing to realize our own weakness, and that we can so easily commit the very same thing . Man know thyself are wise words,and we need to take them to heart,we are all sinners, and can so easily commit the same evils that others are committing. Consider the great apostle Peter ,his foolish boast, that though all men would forsake the Lord he wouldnt, but he did. So today let us all tread carefully.prayerfully, and humbly, lest we fall into the very sin we are judging others for.
A prayer..../ Dear God help us this day to rely upon You, and not ourselves,in Jesus name Amen /

His Kingdom come [ Matthew 6 v 9-13 ]

It was reported that Fidel Castro of Cuba fame, has declared good Friday a national holiday,this has happened after Pope Benidicts visit. This is amazing because for most of his reign Fidel has appeared anti Christian,being anti Christian is very popular in many countries,I am continually reading of Christians suffering for their faith. Could it be that things are going to change in Cuba?, I hope so, I wonder how communism gained a foothold in many countries,I suppose the situation in many countries was so bad for many ordinary people, they saw communism as a way out.There are no perfect political systems,democracy appears the best , but it is far from perfect,because men are imperfect,if they were perfect then we would have a perfect goverment.Our Saviour did not preach about the rule of earthly goverments, but He did stress what it meant to belong to His kingdom,cp Luke 6 v20 ff/ Matthew 5 -7 v27,of being a servant, of loving others. If we live by these principals,we will be better people, and better citizens, although we may be considered fools, by the world.

A prayer...../ Dear God we pray for Cuba that Your kingdom will come,and we pray that we who are citizens of Your kingdom,may live lives, that reflect that reality, for Jesus sake we ask this Amen /