Our true friend. [1 Peter 1 v 6-7 ]

Difficulty is our true friend [  E  Burke ] We may have heard someone say I am not the person I once was,as a Chrstian of many years, I would like to think ,that I am not the man I once was. I am still the Billy of old and yet I believe that there is a diffent change in me ,oh yes I know there still is a need for a great deal more change.Often difficulties show us where change is needed,when someone hurts us then we find out if we have changed enough to forgive.If  I am faced with a challenge by God have I faith to meet that challenge?,can I accept criticisim, and not feel threatened?. Because Change is the name of the game although it is not a game,the Christian life is an ongoing process of transformation.One of my favourite vegatables is parsnips,now my son told me that in order for them to develop they need frost, one could imagine the parsnip saying ,as it shivered in the cold, I dont need this, but it does, just like the rose bush needs pruned,just like we need our true friend difficulty.
A  prayer...../Dear God grant us the grace we need to triumph over those difficulties we have to face, in Jesus name Amen /

Difficulties our friend?. [ Hebrews 12 v 2-3 ]

Let us continue to consider the words of E Burke that,/difficulty is our true friend/,first of all we are on a journey,we are as every Christian is,on a pilgrimage,we are strangers here, and like Abraham we are looking for a city which hath foundations,whose builder and maker is  God.[ Hebrews [ 11 v10-16] Now life by its very nature will throw up difficulties,the difficulties the unsaved face and overcome are related only to this life,the difficulties Gods children face, are overcome in the light of eternity. If we are facing difficulties ,moral challenges,poverty,illness,restrictions that frustrate us,or whatever, we must see these difficulties as Christ saw them, as but temporary hiccups,painful though they be.[ Hebrews 12 v2 ].The apostle Paul wrote ,that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory, which shall be revealed in us.I am 68 yrs of age,I may only have 10 more years to live. Those 10 years will pass quickly,is it worth giving in to my difficulties ,in the light of eternity?, of course not,am I going to fall at the temporary difficulties ,in the light of eternity glories?.So the difficulties are our friends in that they,cause us to think of the eternal joys that lie ahead.
A  prayer...../Dear God help us to see our difficulties,as a prompting from You,  to us , in order that we  keep our eyes fixed on our eternal homeland  ,in Jesus name Amen./

Jesus made perfect [Hebrews 5v 8-9 ]

Edmund Burke said, /difficulty is our true friend/,I wonder what you think of those words,at this moment in time you may cry out,rubbish,or he would,nt have said that if he was going through,what I am going through.I must read uo on Edmund Burke,but let us consider what he said, that difficulties are our true friends. Consider Jesus of whom we read of in Hebrews 5v 8-9 ,/Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered, and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation, unto all who obey Him/ Now we are not  being told that Christ was imperfect in relation to sin, for he was without sin [Hebrews 4v15],but He came for a purpose to offer  Himself as a perfect sacrifice,yes He was born a perfect human being,but would He succeed were Adam failed?,and the answer is yes,and this meant He had to learn obedience,and that obedience involved suffering.As the Son of God in eternity,the question of obedience never arose, but as the Son of man,suffering was required,in order for Him to be our Saviour, and our great high priest, and this He fully accomplished, on the cross when He cried out ,/it is finished.[ John 19 v30].Coming back to the beginning ,that difficulties are our true friends,can we apply that to Jesus?,we can in a sense,for in overcoming them good came,to a needy world,and in overcoming them Jesus gained as Thomas Hewitt wrote,/Our Lord gained an experimental knowledge of obedience/,so when  His children come, in all their weakness, and failures He fully understands,and is touched with our infirmities[ Hebrews 4 v15]
A prayer....../Dear God we praise You for Jesus who for oursakes faced and overcome every difficulty, and we thank You that He understands us in our difficulties Amen /

True worshipper. [ 1 Thessalonians 1 v9 ]

I have to watch my sugar intake since I became diabetic, at this point I am not on medication, but it may come to that,but I still  like the taste of sweet things,yet I know If  I eat sweets and cakes ,it could cause me serious trouble. I try to be disciplined in my eating but its not easy , eating gives us great pleasure, but pleasure unrestrained becomes a god cp -Philippians 3 v19. I love football,as many do, but for many football and footballers can become objects of worship, inspite of our advancemet socially ,materially, etc, humanity will still idolise something or other. The reason being ,our imperfectness creates in us a want,or a need, the entertainment media, be it comics,books,movies,feed in on this want,and they create,superman,batman, super heroes. But the reality is this, they are but an illusion, have no substance,I make no apology for the fact that I am a Christian,a worshipper, that my worship is in a person called Christ. Someone said to me recently,ah thats what you believe,yes it is , but its a belief borne out of the word of God,that clearly foretold of a coming Saviour,in what we call the old testament,and was fulfilled,at a place called Bethlehem in a babe who would grow to be a man, who would die on a cross to meet humanities greatest need.Our greatest need is to be reconciled to God, and on the cross Christ dealt with the barrier to our being reconciled to God, sin,that foul and flthy thing that blinds us and causes us so much harm. Christ is not just another, no He is unique,and He alone is worthy of our worship.
A  prayer..../  Dear God we thank for the truth of Your dear son Jesus ,who came as was foretold, and died to make us true worshippers of Yourself . Amen/

Stop and let me tell you. [Lamentations 3 v 22-23]

Stop and let me tell you what the good Lords done for me/,these are opening words to an old chorous,they have a nice theme to them. In Psalm 126 v3, we read,/  The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad/,The Bible tells us that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,from the Father of lights; with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning [James 1 v 17].We do not appreciate enough the fact, that we alive in a fallen world,that means  so much is contrary to the original creation,also there is an evil presence abroad,who to some extent and often to a great extent influences and controls unregenerated humanity,the devil and his henchmen.Let us acknowledge that inspite of  this , God is ever seeking to bless mankind,He desires the death of no one,[ Ezekiel 33 v11]In Matthew 5 45 we read He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.I know there are things that we cannot answer, but I do believe that God is good ,for He has a heart of love, for this whole world[ John 3v16 ].As Jeremiah surveyed the devastation all around him,devastation brought about by sin,He declares rightly,/It is of the Lords mercies, that we are not consumed, because His compassions  fail not. They are new every morning great is Thy faithfulness /[Lamentations3 v 22- 23 ] What has the Lord done for me?,He has saved me, that means I am not going to hell, but it also means I am going to heaven,He has given me hope,He has given me love,He has preserved me, protected me,provided for me.
A prayer ..../ Dear God we praise and thank You ,for all You have done for us,Your mercies are truly new every morning, great has been Your faithfulness, thank You  in Jesus worthy name Amen /

Dont be fooled[ 3 John v4 ]

I feel a bit unsettled ,the reason being I had a conversation with a person who is very religious,and holds to unbiblical beliefs,yes he reads the Bible,he studies it for 2 hours every day,fasts and prays,but is a person whose veiws are inbalanced ,and unscriptural. To try and talk to him about truth in a more balanced way is nigh on impossible,and I came away feeling unsettled. The bible tells us to contend for the faith [Jude 3],and if we do,it is a war zone, and the enemy will do all he can to wound ,hurt and unsettle us. The people our dear Saviour had to contend with, were extremley religious,and they opposed Him continually,and when they could not defeat Him with their spurious beliefs they nailed Him to a cross. So beware especially if you are a young Christian ,that when you challenge the enemy they will fight back. The devil is a very powerful enemy, and one of his aims is to destroy all Gods children,and in so doing challenge God Himself,so be on your gaurd, for the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Let us not be fooled by religious people ,whoever they are,that do not hold to the truth, remember though they may defeat one in an argument, that does not make them right.
A prayer by Thomas Brooks....../Ah Lord, this mercy I humble beg,that Thou wouldest rather take me into Thine own hand, and do anything with me, than give me up to those sad errors, to which thousands have married their souls  and are in a way of perishing for ever. Amen/

The offence of the cross. [1 Peter 2 v7-8]

When Jeremiah and Ezekiel were called as prophets they were both told to not be afraid of those they had to witness to[ Jeremiah 1v8/ Ezekiel 2 v6 ].I dont know if I always get it right as regards witnessing, but rest assured there will be those who will take offence at our words.When my dear mother was dying I sought to witness to her,she took offence,and later on my sister and her husband mentioned this. Now I can assure you I dont want to upset anyone ,especially my dying mother,but  the reality is, we will, not because we our argumentative,not because we are seen as religious fanatics,but because the Gospel is still an offence to so many. Many do not appreciate the exclusiveness of the Gospel, that Jesus is the only way to God [John 14 v6 ],in fact they are deeply offended at this.Also the idea of hell does not sound right to many,or the truth of sin,to some extent most people live by their own standards. So many feel that they are not accountable to God ,and that somehow He will accept them,after all because He is love He will ignor their sin, and the fact that they reject His son. If that was true then God would be not true to His holiness, yes God is love,and because of that fact He has provided at a tremendous cost a way in which people can be saved from wrath to come . We have a wonderful Gospel  ,we are called to tell others this good news as our Saviour commanded us to,yes we have to be sensitive,and wise,but people wil react not always in a friendly way, the cross is evidence of that.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us not to be afraid to witness, but help us not to witness in an offensive way,in Jesus name Amen/