A football match .[ Romans 3 v23 / 6 v23 ]

I was watching a football match and I often surprised how the team that should have been beaten wins against the odds,they team that won against the odds had a man sent off,a penalty was awarded against them,and it was missed, by one of the greatest players in the world. It seem that they were destined to win no matter what,does a football hold any importance in Gods purposes?,how important is a football match?. In some ways it is not important, but like all of life happenings, we can see spiritual lessons even in a football match. Paul used sport to illustrate spiritual truths,and as I consider football I know there are rules to be obeyed,and I gaurantee you ,that every player who has ever played football, has broken the rules,and the obvious application in this relates to life and Gods commandments. Gods laws are violated every day, in thought ,word and deed,as the scripture says for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.[ Romans 3v 23 ]. No one ,can live a perfect sinless life,and that has very, very serious consequences,those sin we commit cannot be removed by anything we do, and if we are going to be saved,those sins must  be forgiven. We cannot have them forgiven by good works,or by being religious,when it comes to sin, only Jesus can forgive sins,the cross on which Jesus died, was a sacrifice for sin, when we ask Him and trust Him to be our Saviour, then He forgives us freely and fully.
A  prayer..../Dear God we thank You that there is someone who can and will forgive our sins ,even Jesus Amen /

You will understand. [ Psalm 18 v30 ]

I happen to glance at a little plaque I have , it has these words on it,/Jesus never fails/,I remember my father in-law pointed to these words when his daugther my wife died. To him those words were untrue, and unfortunately  drove him further into an attitude of unbelief,I have never thought that Jesus has failed, oh yes I have grieved over my loss, and still shed tears,but no , Jesus never failed me or my wife. For you see my wife and I had a life verse, which we had framed ,and I see it every day, it reads ,/And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God [ Romans 8 v28 ] I may not understand these words, and as you read this blog ,you may not understand . Let me remind myself and you that these words are true, even though your heart is breaking,and you are bewildered as to why the Lord has allowed you or those you love to suffer, God would say to you,/ I love you ,I have not failed you, I will never fail you, I have a path that you  my child must go.This path can hold pain, and suffering,and what I desire of you is trust, I know how you feel, I understand your pain,remember there is a day coming,when you will understand./
A prayer...../ Dear God help us to trust You when our hearts are breaking,when we are going through  those things we cannot understand, grant us the grace we need in Jesus name Amen /

Deliverance.[ Psalm 18 v 2 ]

Here is another song I have just listened to ,it is a war time song,it goes,/There will be blue skies over the white cliffs of Dover./ As we get further away from the events of the 2nd world war,and the older generation dies of,we are lest inclined to appreciate those events, and the absolute dire situation our country and the world faced.If Germany had invaded England ,it is unthinkable the thought,for it would have affected the world,but it didnt happen,blue skies are over the white cliffs of Dover. How did this country survive, to God be the glory, great things He hath done, we were to some extent a Christian country, and God in His mercy granted a deliverance. If the Nazies had succeeded ,they would have destroyed so much,and they would have indoctinated our youth with their false beliefs,the weak would have gone to the wall,and hitler would have become a god to them. So today raise a prayer of thanksgiving, for such a deliverance, and if you are in a situation that is threatening you, yes even with death, there is a God in Heaven ,who hears and answers prayer,and can deliver you.
A prayer...../ Dear God thank You for past deliverances from evil powers that would have enslaved us , as we face life and those evil forces that would harm and even threaten to destroy us,grant us deliverance ,in Jesus name Amen /

True love [1 Corthians 13 ]

I am listening to a song as I sit here and hear the words,/ look at what love has done,it has made a slave of me/,words about a love for a woman.There is so much written ,and sung about love,I wonder what  you think about love?,in general,I pray for many people,but why to I pray for them?.Why do I give gifts to people?,or to the church I attend,why do I do the work I do, working among the mentally ill?,why do I ,and so we could go on the list is endless.Why did God send His son into this world ?and of course the answer is LOVE, for God is love, imagine a world in which He withdrew that love. Love suffereth long, I was going to use a different word, but I feel that word suffereth,is so appropriate to describe what it means to love,if you have a difficult child, or are in a difficult marriage,or been hurt by a friend,you are suffering. Consider our fellow Christians who are enduring so much pain,they know what it means to suffer, day after day, and for some it will end in death,and in the midst of all suffering,the challenge is to love,to serve those who least deserve our service,to bless those who curse us.
A prayer...../ Dear God of love, grant to us the grace by Your Spirit to love we ask this in the name of Jesus, the son of Thy love Amen /

God is patient. [ Revelation 13 v10 ]

I was waiting in a queue at the bank,and I asked myself why is it some people appear to take forever when I am waiting?, while I was debating it with myself, I heard a little voice say ,be patient. Then I asked the Lord why are You always telling me to be patient?,well you can imagine,what the answer may have been.. Take a moment to consider how patient God is, with this world ,and with you and I, oh yes He is.When one becomes a Chriatian ,it should cause us to look at life differently,and hopefully to act and think differently. Let me assure you that waiting in a queue is a minor thing in life, compared to what God has to put up with,we cannot fully appreciate,or comprehend Gods patience.From the moment mankind went astray in the garden of Eden, God has been patiently seeking and speaking, and the majority of people ignor Him. Even with those who know Him,consider how patient he was  with Israel the chosen people, continually they  grieved Him ,with their backsliding, the writer of the epistle of the Hebrews declares,/your fathers tempted Me,, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation/[ Hebrews 3 v10 -11 ]We need to to be very, very grateful that God is patient,on a personal  level, God has been very patient with me, when I look back  I observe so many  aspects of my life, that must have grieved God, yet He remained faithful, and still does.So if  we want to be like Jesus, well one very important aspect  is being patient, so let us stop our complaining , and be grateful that we dont have to put up, with what God has to put up with.
A prayer..../ Dear God remind us, that You desire us to be patient ,we thank and praise You forYour  amazing patience, towards the world in general,to Your church,and especially to me,in Jesus name Amen /

The darkness within. [Acts 3 v14 ]

I am in the process of reading a book called ,The end: Hitlers Germany, by Ian Kershaw, and I also watched the film,The Pianist.The  book seeks to analysis why Germany never surrendered, when it was obvious that the war was lost, and the film is about a pianist who was a Jew, who survived ,the awful fate ,of his fellow Jews,in Warsaw ,under the Nazies.As one reads about the awful fact that a party like the Nazies got into power, and survived in power,one asks many questions. And when one considers the evils perpetrated by that nation,one asks the question why?,after all Germany is were the reformation started, Germany was, a so called civilised country.Not only does one ask questions but one begins to judge them, and condemn them,am I right?,and the answer is, I am not right.Consider the words of Jeremiah 17 v9,/The heart is decieitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?/ Let the truth of those words take hold of us,the fact of matter is,we do not know our hearts,our sinful natures and the depths it can sink to. As I consider my sinful heart,and consider the wickedness of nations or individuals like Anders Behring Breivik of Norway who coldly murdered many young people, I can only trully say, there but by the grace of God go I. The word of God declares ,that Christ came to save sinners, that includes everyone,for we are all sinners, oh yes justice must be done,if not now, it most certainty will be done in eternity.Yes let us pray that justice will be done, but above all else, let us pray that God will preserve all of us from falling into some heinous sin.
A  prayer...../ Dear God deliver us from all evil, you alone know the darkness of our hearts,and the depths of evil lurking there, have mercy upon us in Jesus name Amen./

Jesus. [ John 21 ]

Why not give up,why not give up with church,why not give up praying,why not give up on that difficult child,that difficult marriage,that dream, that God has placed in your heart. Surely God will understand , He will understand , how tired I am,how much I have tried, and tried, and it seems I have got nowhere.I know so many have given up,oh yes they had their reasons, and I am not going to judge them. But what I will do, is pray for them,for I have been tempted to give up, we are all fellow travellers on this road of life, but then what?,no to give up,is not the answer. Whatever road of live we are on,we will still have to face difficulties,it is the nature of life, the difference between the road I am on ,yes it is a narrow road,but there is one with me , His name is Jesus. He makes all the difference to me, His friendship is ever constant, and unlike so many fairweather friends ,He never leaves me,and He fully understands ,how I feel,He is always there for me 24/7.I cant imagine life without Him, can you?.

A prayer ..../ Dear God grant us the grace to not give up,and to never loose sight that the most important thing in my life is Jesus Your Son Amen /