How can we cope?.[ Joshua 1 v 9 ]

We considered the fact that we all are faced with difficulties, the question is how are we to cope?,well the good news is we can,we may not think so, but we can.The reason I say this is because of what the scripture tells us,and of the experience of many of Gods dear children. How did Job cope with all that he suffered?how did David cope when being hunted and hounded by Saul?,how did Paul cope with so much?.Well you may have heard it before ,but we need to be reminded that we cannot cope in our own resources. It is God and His resources that alone can enable us to cope, and not only to cope ,but be triumphant. Now what resources has God granted us? first of all ,Himself,for has He not said that He is with us always[Matthew 28v 20],consider today that He is with you,and tomorrow He will be with you,and indeed for all your tomorrows He will be with you. We may feel that we are alone,but we are not,we have one with us who will never leave us nor forsake us. In the garden the disciples fled and forsook their Lord,but  their Lord never forsook them,Jonah discovered the wonderful truth,that although he had been unfaithful,God was faithful even in the depths of the sea and in the belly of the great fish.Give not in to morbid thoughts,let not the things of sight blind you to the great reality that only faith can grasp, that God hath said I will never leave you nor forsake you.
A  prayer....../ Dear God I thank You that we are not alone,that You are with us every passing hour,thank You in Jesus name Amen /

Difficulties. [ Job 14 v 1 ]

It is so easy as we look at others to loose sight of the truth that they have difficulties to cope with ,Job had his looses,David had his Saul,Paul had his thorn in the flesh. In a sense no matter how great a person may be, no matter how godly,we are all without exception in the same boat.James reminds us that Elijah was a man,but he did so many powerful things,no, God did many powerful things in response to  his prayers. We must always give God the glory and remember that the greatest evangelist ,are but men,honour them but don't idolise them. Now says James, Elijah was subject to like passions as we are,in other words he had difficulties to deal with, just like us. So let let us not envy them,pray for them,and let us not think of any saint of God that they are  immune from difficulties. I used to have a book called  I think,/The crook in the lot/written by I think, Thomas  Boston,and in this book he pointed out that we all have to contend with something, that's difficult. This is so true, now having made that point the question is how can we cope, with those difficulties?,well  how?,we will consider this more next time
A prayer.... / Dear God help us to see that we are all faced with difficulties , that none are excluded from them,let us envy no one because of their apparent prosperity in Jesus name Amen /.

Alone. [ Genesis 2 v18 ]

Imagine being on your own,you never have a visitor,if you have children they never bother with you,your neighbours never bother,the only phone calls you receive,are from sales people,and the only mail you receive is junk mail. The fact is you are alone,really alone ,although there are people all around you,you live in a prosperous country,but you are poor when it comes to friends. This can apply to many people,to the old,sick,poor,they have no one,they are alone,I have never been in that situation,but there have been times in my life when I have felt alone,yes really alone.In my case God did send people along to be my friends, I can see them now as I go down memory lane,and I thank God for everyone of them. Today let us remember the lonely those people who are on their own,those people we rub shoulders with,and if we can let befriend them,pray for them,yes they may be Christians, but they still can feel lonely, the word of God tells us it is not good for man to be alone i[ Genesis 2 v18]. A dear brother in the Lord was ill receiving treatment, I phoned him regularly, and he said to me that I was like a pastor to him,all I did was phone,no I did more than that I cared for him.Consider the importance our Saviour puts on caring,He declares,/Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,ye have done it unto Me[  Matthew 25 v40 ]
A  prayer...../Dear God help those dear people who are alone,use us to befriend them in some way in Jesus name Amen /

Our name. [ Acts 11 v26 ]

I have a favourite radio program called ,Desert Island Discs , a guest is invited to appear on it,and they are asked to choose 10 pieces of music they would have ,if they where marooned on a desert island.  The guest also talks about their life's experience ,a recent guest was the opera singer Noah Stewart,who was born in Harlem, New York,in fact he sill lives there.Noah asked his mother why she had named him Noah, and she replied,/ Noah was a great man,and did great things/. I suppose she had named her son Noah, that he would be like Noah,a great man , and accomplish great things,and so it is,Noah has achieved greatness within the world of opera.We may not be called Noah , but we bear a wonderful name, as John the apostle puts it,we are called the children of God[ 1 John 3 v1],we also bear the name Christian.Should this not,inspire and challenge us, to greatness, now of course the greatness of Gods kingdom is not defined by earthly success or fame,but in servant hood, in love,in sacrifice.This is all to be found in following Jesus, and seeking to be like Him,the Christian should be Christ like.
A  prayer...../Dear God help to bring honour to our name,for Jesus sake Amen/

Never to busy. [ Mark 10 v49 ]

We continue on in considering our Saviours ongoing ministry,right to the point of His death,we thought on the blind man Bartimaeus, and determination to be healed by our Lord.. Now our Lord was on His way to die at Jerusalem ,He knew what that would involve,and here is this man Bartimaeus, calling for Him,yes his need was great,but Jesus had a task that was great,the salvation of the world. He humanly speaking had every right to ignore this one individual,but He didn't,those around Jesus thought He should not be disturbed. Then we read , Jesus stood still,Jesus was never a driven person,no He was always in control,oh that we were more like Him,we are driven people,instead of being a led people, instead of being in control.Now Jesus stood still, may God help us to be still and know that God is in control,whatever situation Jesus found Himself in,He was in control, be it in a storm,or in a debate,or in going to Calvary,He was not filled with anxiety,nor to busy to help the needy.We may be faced today with difficulties, pressures,yes even death,don't panic,be still and know your God, all things are in His hands,don't think He has not heard Your cry,or is to busy to stop and help You. The words of a song comes to mind,/Oh know, he never would say He is  to busy today,He is only a prayer away.
A   prayer....Dear Lord we thank You that You are always available for us Amen /

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 /