Doing in us. [ John 15 v1-8 ]

As I look back on my life ,much of my prayer life and concerns have been taken up with what I want God to do for me,now there is nothing wrong with asking God to open doors,heal,provide,guide, save and to grant us wisdom and strength. But as I look back I have been more and more conscious of what God is doing in my life,developing ,preparing,and changing me. I have had to learn different lessons, and sometimes the process has been painful, and yet it has been necessary in order for God to work out His purpose in my life,that of perfecting me. Consider the following words from Romans 5 v 3-4,/we know that suffering produces persesverance,perseverance,character, and character hope/. Now  I dont know a lot about gardening but I have a lovely little rose plant,and it had black spots on the leaves,this I treated, but it had also some dead wood, this I cut off,and now I have a lovely healthy rose bush. We are all to some extent like that little rose bush ,with black spots, and dead wood,if we are going to be the healthy Christians that we should be, then God must deal with those areas in our lives. The black spots must be treated and removed,they are a blight,that which mars or prevents growth, likewise the dead wood must be removed, consider what the black spots and dead wood are in our lives. Consider our Lords  words,/I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away,, and every branch in that bears fruit He prunes, that it will bear more fruit/[John 15 v 1-2 ]
A  prayer.../ Dear God so often we are solely taken up with what we want You to do for us,help us to begin to understand what You are doing in us, in Jesus name Amen /

What still awaits us. [ Jeremiah 18 v1 - 6 ]

Last evening in our fellowship ,we had a communion service,and we did something different ,we used liturgy from ,/A wee worship book/,I found it very meaningful and calming.I suppose it helps us appreciate other Christian traditions ,we are members of a  church worldwide made up of different cultures,and traditions. I believe we should accept all who trully know the Lord, that sounds obvious, but for many it is hard to appreciate this,and to put it into practice.Now coming back to our communion service, there was a  prayer that we all prayed, which touched me,it read,/ Take us,renew and remake us. What we have been is past,what we shall be, through You, still awaits us./  What we shall be,through You, still awaits us,yes our Christian development is ongoing.This means we are not set in concrete ,we are the clay in the potters hands,and in his hands He will change us,and always for the better. Marlyn Baker  who ministers through song, has written the following.
             / Jesus You are me changing me, by Your Spirit You,re making me like You.
               Jesus You,re transforming me, that Your loveliness may be seen in all I do.
                You are thr potter and I am the clay,help me to be willing to let You have Your way.
               Jesus , You are changing me, as I let You reign supreme within my heart/.
A  prayer ..../ Dear  Lord ,change us more and more into Your likeness Amen /

No sheep.[ John 10 v 1-18]

I attended our local agricultural show ,on display were horses,cattle ,both groups were very impressive,there were events like show jumping,and dogs involved in racing each other,but I didnt see any sheep,mybe I just missed them,but I wonder where they were?. The bible has a lot to say about sheep,it likens people as unto sheep,when it mentions that all we like sheep have gone astray,and that we have turned every one to his own way,the people would understand this, living in rural setting, many of them involved with sheep.It was to shepherds that the angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus[ Luke 2],Jesus called Himself the good shepherd ,who would give His life for the sheep. [John 10v11]. Again the people would understood this, wild animals often attacked the sheep, David spoke about a lion and a bear attacking his sheep[ 1 Samuel 17 ]Now the spiritual application of all this is ,as sheep go astray,so we without exception have turned away from God,we have gone our own way,and that puts us in great danger,in our self willed way,we are ensnared , and trapped by Satan and our sin,with all it consequences,for time and eternity.This is where Jesus the good Shepherd comes in, He leaves heaven comes to earth to give His life for us [lost sheep],in order that He would rescue us ,from Satan,and forgive and free us from eternal loss.The cost to Jesus cannot be estimated,as the old hymn declares,/ None of the ransomed ever knew,how deep were the waters crossed,nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through,ere He His sheep that was lost/.The question is why did He go through all that suffering ?simply, because He loved us His sheep.
A prayer...../ Dear God we praise and thank You for Jesus Your Son ,who left heaven , came to earth to die on the cross for lost mankind Amen /

In heaven.[ Ephesians 3 v 14 -21 ]

I wonder do you ever have a deep longing for our homeland ,I mean heaven,I  do , now I can understand how many dear peoples lives are so difficult,and they long for heaven and home. But we must wait until God decides it is time for our homecalling ,we read of Enoch who walked with God,and He was not,for God took him[ Genesis 5v24 ], consider, God took him, thats important, one these days God will take you and I home.I was thinking today about heaven , and what will not be there,have you thought about that?,well ,there will be no feelings of loneliness , the Beatles sang of all the lonely people,yes there are a lot of lonely people,who go to bed on there own, and face each day on there own.Ask God to lead you to some lonely person and befriend them,I dare you to pray this,God will surprise you. I believe even Christians are lonely, I have been  lonely at times, there I have said it, I have confessed,and it is true. Now could it be that as we are in this earthly situation loneliness is something we will always  know to some degree,but heaven here I come,were loneliness will be banished,not one of Gods children will feel lonley there
A  prayer...../Dear Father in heaven grant unto us a greater sense of Your presence, we  acknowledge that we are lonely at times,we praise You that in heaven we will never feel loneliness,until that day dawns,and the shadows flee away,pour out Your grace into our lives, in Jesus name Amen./

It does matter.[ 2 John ]

John Stott in his Tyndale commentary on the epistles of John writes,/ John has given us three things to test themselves, and others, doctrinal, moral,and social./ Consider the doctrinal, now many people say it does not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere,but it does matter,I am reading at present a history of Nazism ,their leader and followers acted out what they believed. Rudolf  Hess who was responsible for the murder of more than a million people ,felt to his last breath the reasons for the extermination of the Jews were right,that was what he believed.The person who killed all those young people in Norway acted out of what he believed. Now acting out of what we believe is seem in everyday events,why do you save,because you believe it is the sensible thing to do,likewise when you feel unwell you go to the doctors,again because you believe it is the sensible thing to do.Everybody has beliefs , but it is when those beliefs ,are and become harmful, and when our beliefs are contrary to the word of God.Much of what is written in the epistles is contending against error,who Christ is, and why He came,and what He said and did, are not to be undermined, or to be seen as just another religious leader and movement. Jesus declared that He was the way ,the truth,and the life,that no one can come unto the Father but by Him [ John 14 v6 ], make no mistake, believing this is vital.
A   prayer..../ Dear God ,guide us into truth and keep us believeing and walking in Your truth in Jesus Name/

Worry. [1 Peter 5 v7 ]

I must confess there are times that I worry,you would think after all these years,I wouldnt worry, I who have read the bible many times,preached  sermons and so on,  should not worry, is worry a sin?[,now  I am going to worry about that]. I am sure every Christian worries about something or other at times, I dont worry all the time, and by Gods grace ,I face my worries and trust in His word, that word continually reassures me that my loving heavenly Father is watching over me.Worry is a natural feeling,the only way forward is? ,ah, I know the answer,trust, yesterday I had to take two people for their regular blood test,they both are very unwell people and find it hard to wait, and so I prayed that they would be seen quickly,and they were.Yes I do worry about things but I do bring my worries to Jesus, and I find time and time again,He undertakes. Im struggling to remember  the words of a little chorus ,I think the words go like this,/All my anxieties all my cares bring to the mercy seat ,leave them there,never a burden that He cant bear, never a fiend like Jesus/, let us do that today. 
A  prayer....../ Dear God live is a continual challenge, help to face whatever problem or worry as it were on our knees,to daily cast our cares upon You in Jesus name Amen /

Take the meaning. [Romans 8 v26-27]

Continuing on our theme on prayer, yes we may not know always what to pray, now that is no reason to stop praying,we must pray we need to keep in touch with God. There are many times when God grants us faith to pray for a persons  healing or whatever,so pray,never stop praying, in prayer we acknowledge our continual dependance upon God.The apostle acknowledges his limatations in not knowing what to pray for, but he does not leave it there, he tells us that we have a helper, the Holy Spirit who helps us in our prayer life[ Romans 8 v26-27]. Yes He is our helper in our struggles to know what to pray, He  the Spirit is at work,dont get hung up with the words Paul the apostles uses ,as regards the Spirit  making intercession for the saints with groaning. The most important point is He the Spirit is helping us in our prayer life,in a way in which we need. I remember years ago reading about a man who was praying earnestly , he broke down weeping ,and all he could pray was the following words,/ Take the meaning,take the meaning/. You see thats what the Holy Spirit does He takes the meaning,and as the apostle writes,/He maketh intercession, for the saints according to the will of God/.
A   prayer...../Dear God help us in our ministry of prayer, there are so many times we are not sure how or what to pray for,grant us Your Spirits aid and guidance in Jesus name  Amen/