Suddenly. [ Proverbs 27 v 1 ]

Suddenly something happens, the red light comes on the dashboard of our car,or we cannot find our mobile phone,or something more serious , like a friend of mine who was told in an oft handed way that he had cancer,then being told he hadnt got cancer. There used to be a TV programe called tales of the unexpected, life is a bit like that,suddenly,our well planned day is disrupted by something that grips us and causes us to fear, and to panic. In Isaiah 38 king Hezekiah suddenly is told that he is going to die,we do not know the reason, but God did. Was this a case of God being cruel? no for God is never cruel,we are but He isnt, so why did He let it happen?.The fact of the matter is, we are very independant beings,and the unexpected  happenings, are Gods wake up call ,as it was for Hezekiah when suddenly he was told he was going to die ,he did not turn away from God , no he turned to God,and He wept and prayed,and God heard and answered his prayer. Now here is the important thing if he  had not turned to God , he would have died, prayer is vital for all of us, W. O. Cushing wrote,/ How oft in the conflict , when pressed by the foe. I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe. How often when trials like sea billows roll, Have I hidden in Thee ,O  Thou rock of my soul /
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us when sudden trials arise, to seek Your face,in Jesus name Amen/.

friendship [ John 15 v 15 ]

I have just come of the phone,I was speaking to a friend, one I have known all my life, he was my best friends brother,and here is the important thing he is a Christian. Friendship is very important and it grieves me that I lost some friends along the way,but I also have gained some new friends.We all need friends , the right kind of friends, we may have many acquaintances but friendship goes further and deeper than that. God can give us friends ,I remember when I came back to the Lord , He brought friends into my life,and He also brought a lovely girl called Eileen into my life and she became my wife and my best friend. I have so many happy memories of that friendship,when she died, I was devastated, and then God brought another lovely girl into my life ,a girl called Daphne who is my wife and my best friend. I wonder what new friends God will bring into my life, and your,s?, I am sure He will. But here is the most important thing ,in Jesus I have the perfect friend,He has stuck with me in every situation,I value His friendship above all others, I wonder do you know Him?,you can ,for He desires to be everybody,s friend,accept Him as your Saviour, and He will become your friend, for ever and ever , and ever ,Amen.
A   prayer....../Dear God we thank You for those friends we have, and most of all for Your Son Jesus,our forever friend. Amen/

The Jewel in the crown. [ Matthew 13 v 45-46]

I was wanting a new Bibleand  was finding it hard to get one I liked,I did get one from recently but I was not happy with it especially when the binding came apart. Not so long ago I invested in a leather bound study Bible, the study bible was grand, but the the same problem arose, the binding,was not good,so it came apart.I was visiting a friend recently and to my joy they had some spare Bibles ,and I was able to choose one.The Bible is so important to me,as I am sure it is to you,what would I do without the word of God,it is my daily bread,by it I am fed,instructed,guided,encouraged.I praise God for His word,and would dread to think,how I could live without it,I thank God for people like Tyndale who translated the Bible into English.. By this word we have been made wise unto salvation[2 Timothy 3 v15],and by that word I have been able to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.The Psalmist declared that the Word of God was a lamp unto his feet , and a light unto his path[Psalm 119v105],as the hymn writer puts it,/Thy word,O Lord ,will safely lead.So today thank God for His word, that word as E Hooper puts it,is like a deep, deep mine,of jewels ,rich and rare,and the Jewel in the crown is none other than Christ.
A  prayer..../ Dear God  we give You thanks for Your word,grant that we may always treasure it,help us to read it,mediatate upon it, and to live it, in Jesus name Amen./

Walk the walk. [ 1 Timothy 4v 12 ]

I like the story Tony Campolo tells in his book,/Let me tell you a story/,about the time he met Bishop Desmond Tutu and how he asked him why he was an Anglian priest ?,why was he not a Baptist or a Methodist, as most black people were?.Desmond explained how in the days of apartheid, when a black person met a white person on the sidewalk, the black person was expected to step of the pavement,to allow the white person to pass.One day when he was a little boy out walking with his mother,down the street came a tall white man ,dressed in a black suit coming towards then, before they had an opportunity to step of the sidewalk, this man stepped of, and as they passed him he tipped his hat as a mark of respect. Desmond asked his mother,why did that white man do that?. His mother explained, He is an Anglican priest,a man of God, thats why he did it.It was then that Desmond decided that he wanted to be an Anglican priest, and to be a man of God.
I read this recently,its an old song,/What you are speaks so loud that the world can,t hear what you say,they are looking at your walk,not listening to your talk,they are judging from actions every day/
A  prayer....../ Dear God help us to walk the walk and not just talk the talk in Jesus name Amen /
I will return to my blog Tues 7th as I am away ministering,do pray for me every blessing/

Trust Him for all your tomorrows. [ Psalm 23 ]

My friend was visiting me  recently, and we both spoke on how God has blessed us,we both come from Ireland,when he arrived in England ,he had very little, likewise myself, in my case I was married and had four children,and like my friend I had very little.This was a good number of years ago ,since then God in His great mercy has blessed us and our children,with jobs,homes,and all we need. We can trully say great has been Gods faithfulness, like the Psalmist we both can say, that we have been young ,but now  are we are old, and we have never seen the righteous forsaken , nor His seed begging bread[Psalm 37v25]. Dear Child of God remember God is faithful,He whose eye is upon the sparrow ,will always care for you, so praise Him for present and past blessings, and trust Him for all your tomorrows.
A  prayer..../Dear God  we praise You for Your faithfulness,help us to trust for all our tomorrows in Jesus name Amen./

Are we significant?[Psalm 8 ]

Recently while watching the TV ,the camera were up in the air and it showed people on the ground they looked the size of ants.In relation to the universe we may ask, are we of any significance?,the sheer vastness of the universe dwarfs this minute planet we live in,so again we ask the question, are we of any significance?. Even bringing it down to the size of the worlds population,what significance are we as individuals?,the Psalmist asks the same sort of questions in Psalm 8v 3-4,/When I consider Thy heavens,the work of Thy fingers,the moon, and the stars,which thou hast ordained. What is man, that thou art mindful of Him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him/ This was not a question of doubt, but a statement of utter and complete amazement,that such a thing should be. I read this verse this morning,/ Creator of the universe,who reigns in awesome majesty,how can it be that You,re involved, with such a one as me/.[Sper] The coming of the son of God is such a wonder,God with us,not just as a tourist, but as one who came to show in the most profound way that though we may appear to be insignificant,we are in fact so important that this son of God would give His very life for us,that is how inportant you and I are.
A  prayer...../ Dear God we are sometimes overawed by our smallness,and yet  we rejoice that You have shown us in the most profound way, through Calvary that not only are we imporant ,but that You also love us,we thank You in Jesus Name Amen /

Moods. [ 1 John 3 v 1-2]

We are all to some extent creatures of moods, I work among those who are mentally ill,and I see people who struggle with their moods, if only we could find a happy pill,but up till now it does not exsist. Everbody wants to be happy not just the mentally ill,the only thing is ,a state of undiluted happiness is impossible, even if we are Christians.The main reason is, we are still part of a fallen world,we are still affected by an imperfect mind ,body and circumstances,I do find it hard to sing the words of that old hymn ,which says now I am happy all the day. The fact of the matter is I am not happy all the day,yes some days I am happy,but I am happy that I am a Christian,that is something that never changes,nor ever will change.This is something that is not depended on my mood,yes I may not be able to honestly sing that I am happy all the day, but I am gloriously happy that Christ is my Saviour,and in the words of another old hymn,that means, it is well with my soul.
A  prayer..../Dear God we praise You that we can say it is well with our souls,it is not always well with many things,but we thank You that in Jesus we can trully rejoice. Amen /