Wholeheartedness. [ Philippians 3 v 13 ]

As we read the story of Jesus we are aware that the Saviour was ministering ,right up to the point of His death,He never ceased to minister and impart a blessing upon people. He heads out  of Jericho,[ Jericho is very near Jerusalem]surrounded by His disciples, and a great number of people,a blind man called Bartimaeus, a beggar,calls out to Jesus ,that He would have mercy on him [Mark 10 v46-52 ]. Now the crowds tell him to be quite, but he did not listen. his need was great, and nobody could meet his need but Jesus.How determined are we in meeting with Jesus?.Could it be that we are only half hearted in seeking Jesus.Continually we read about those saints of old who were wholehearted in seeking unto God.[ CP  Genesis 32 v 26/ Numbers 32 v12] Timothy was exhorted to give himself wholly to his ministry and the word of God. 1 Timothy 4 v 12- 15] Make no mistake those who succeed in life are wholehearted in  their endeavour, should it be any different for the Christian?. What does that entail for the Christian,be wholehearted in getting to know the scriptures,be whole hearted in seeking God in prayer,be wholehearted in love of God,and others,if love is missing then we are missing what is most important,be wholehearted in obeying the truth,head knowledge is pointless if it is not lived out in obedience.Bartimaeus was truly wholehearted in his desire to be healed,and he was determined to let no one stand in the way of meeting with Jesus who alone could make it happen.
A  prayer...../Dear Lord give us grace to wholly follow You, Amen/

A good name. [ Ecclesiastes 7 v1 ]

We are have built a summer house built,the man who is building it,is doing a lovely job,he has done a number of jobs for us,and we are very pleased with all he has done. He came recommended to us and he has lived up to his recommendation, we have had the other type of builders, and they were a nightmare.In Ecclesiastes 7 v1, we read,/A good name is better than perfume/,in other words ones reputation is important,the man who is doing work for us,does not advertise,he gets his work because of his reputation,he does a good job.A persons reputation lives on after they have gone,be it good or bad. As a Christian I am so conscious that my life should correspond with my name Christian, I am not talking about being a man pleaser, but a person who walks the walk,like those godly people who have gone before me .One of my prayers is that I may not leave my job under a cloud,which could so easy happen,that would break my heart. How will my children ,and my grandchildren, yes and even my wife remember me?plus the many others I come into contact with. In Proverbs 10 v 7 ,reads,/ The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
 A prayer...../Dear God help us in all our dealings,and every in every aspect of our lives to live a life that will truly glorify You, in Jesus name Amen /

A faithful witness. [ 4 v 18- 20 ]

I was on a course yesterday,now I had prayed about it,and during the course, I got into a conversation with a young women,she shared with me, a few things,and I said I would pray for her. Now not with her , but for her ,that appears to be a simple inoffensive thing to say,yet I felt ,she was not comfortable with what I said. I have prayed for her as I said,the Bible tells us that ,the natural human does not appreciate or understand spiritual things[1 Corinthians 2 v14] So we should not be surprised if people react unfavourable to what we say,but here is the important thing we must not stop  witnessing or saying we will pray for people,[ Ezekiel 2 v5 ].Now this does not mean we ram things down peoples throats,no but it does mean we must be faithful, and witness to the reality of God and of Christ. We must not be governed by the fear of man ,but by the fear of God, we must be faithful witnesses [ Acts 1 v8 ],we are not to be offencive,but in  humility ,and love ,speak as God guides and directs.As to the results,and we do want results,we must leave that to God, He will use our witness as He pleases, let us be faithful witnessing.
A  prayer...../Dear Lord help us to be faithful witnesses,grant us grace,wisdom,and love, Amen/

The new birth. [ John 3 v 1-7/ 1 v 12-13]

He was cultured and well educated, /But behind the civilised veneer of the man lay the cold killer/so wrote the author of the ,/The rise and fall of the third Reich/,of a leading Nazi  called Hans Frank.Jesus said to a very religious Jew ,/You must be born again [John 3 v7 ],and He was not just applying this to one man,be he ever so religious,no,He was talking to every one of us.For when we experience the new birth,we experience a change ,such a change that transforms us,we are forgiven,granted a new nature,a new disposition,a new relationship with God.all things become new. Only a spiritual rebirth can make this happen,until this happens we are lost,and in spite of our efforts,we are unchanged where it counts,our heart, or nature.The cold veneer of modern man can so easily be torn away,to reveal a monster,like Hans  Frank,as we look at Islam we see how the religious veneer hides a very cruel and wicked nature,again shown in the shooting of a fourteen year old girl in Pakistan,a youngster who was advocating the importance of girls being educated.I come from the land of saints and scholars,but I can assure you,it has witnessed child abuse on a massive scale by religious priests,murder of many by terrorists,and sectarian hatred. Jesus said ,a person must be born again, until this happens,nothing will change or can change.
A  prayer....../ Dear God open the eyes of men and women to the truth that they must be born again, by accepting Jesus as their Saviour . Amen/

There will be days like this. [ Philippians 4 v 4 ]

There is song which has the following recurring words,/My mother told me there will be days like this/ it is making the point that there are days when everything will go well. Now I know for many in this world ,everyday brings with it difficulties,hunger,sickness,and so on. But I believe that there will be days when everything will go well,I somehow think we are afraid to think like this,and we live under a perpetual cloud of darkness,now again let me say I know people have problems.Yet I don't think we should be living under a cloud of despair. God is on the throne and He will remember His own,He is looking after us,and He is not looking on us with disfavour,He is not looking at us with burrowed brow. We are His delight ,the apple of His eye,His blessing is upon us,this is the day that the Lord hath made,let us rejoice and be glad in it. Stop thinking woe is me, and stop having that Monday morning feeling every day. At the end of each day stop and consider how the Lord has made a way for you through it,He has not forsaken you,not given up on you, and has blessed you continually even when it is cloudy,things have gone well,and bow your head and say thank you
A  prayer...../Dear God we thank You that we this is the day that You have ,help us to rejoce in it, in Jesus Name Amen/.

Comfort zone. [ Romans 12 v1-2 ]

I attended an evening meal at my local fellowship,which was followed by a speaker,who is involved in prison ministry,he spoke of that moment when he felt challenged to apply for his present position. For Him it meant leaving that placed he called his comfort zone,it is a term I don't particular like,it is one of those in phrases,now I believe this person is a genuine person,and what he said did apply to him. I suppose it is true we do have our comfort zones,yet  we must not live in guilt,should we feel guilt because God has blessed us,no, but we should bless others,blessings are meant to be passed on.Yet I know the Christian life presents to all of us a challenge,to be a witness [Acts 1 v8],to our neighbours,work mates, family, and to all we meet, that is a big challenge. Of course we may be challenged to leave all and to step out in faith, we can be sure if God wants us to do something He will make it plain, even though we ignore it,or run away from it,as Jonah discovered.If we are called to a particular work or task, then God will enable us to do it,as I look back in my times working in mental health, God has help me, and after 20years I praise God for all his help. Yes we all have our comfort zones but let us always by Gods grace rise to the challenges  that we are faced with.
 A  prayer.....Dear Lord help us to deny ourselves daily,and to take up our cross and to follow Thee. Amen/

Time travellers.[ Revelation 21v 1]

Time appears to be passing so quickly,it is said that for the elderly the years pass quickly, and the days slowly,I suppose because I am still employed time appears to be rushing on.A thought came to me, in heaven there will no clocks,or calendar's,in heaven time will cease to be,we will never be late for an appointment. We will never sleep in,for we will never sleep,we will never go to the doctors for we never be unwell,we will never be bored.I just wonder what we will doing for all eternity,I wonder what God has planned for us?, God being God ,I am sure we will be truly fulfilled,there are so many things  we don't know,and will not know until we arrive.Our relationship will be different we will never hurt another person,with our words , or our actions,we will never think an unkind thought. It is all very intriguing , so many people don't think much about heaven,after all for the many they are building there little paradise here,and every week they buy a lottery ticket and dream. In so many ways the many don't think they need God to interfere in their lives,they are locked into a vision of time, and the things of time.They don't appreciate that time and the things of time are but passing they are time travellers. They seek to shut out any real thoughts on eternity,and don't like to be disturbed, as a lady was with me,when I said what if there is a heaven and a hell.
 A  prayer...../Dear God help all those time travellers to realise that eternity awaits them,and help us who have our eyes opened to live in the light of eternity in Jesus name Amen/