Football just a game. [ Matthew 6 v33 ]

I like football, I am to old to play, I did play when I was younger,not very well,but now I am TV spectator,and even though this is so, I still do my bit of shouting,and commentating on the game I am watching.Now there is one person who has the most difficult job, is the referee, one sport commentator,wrote of the referee as displaying a hellish combination of incompetence and arrogance. We rightly say, oh it is only a game,and of course it is but it seems it is a channel for people to have an opportunity to release all their pent up emotions,on the poor referee,the opposing team,and even the opposing supporters. One writer , writes in a newspaper,/Modern referees need the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job , the probity of Caesars wife./ Now this is about sport, just a game, yes a game that  I love, as  Christians we must not let things, like sport or other areas of life get out of proportion. I can think of two well known Christians who were exceptional sportsmen ,yet they led aside that passion for a greater passion their love of Christ, and His call on their lives.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to not let the lesser things have  control of our lives,in Jesus name Amen/

Dont be fooled. [Numbers 32 v 23 ]

I remember when I was a young lad and I smoked cigarettes ,breaking into a cigarette dispenser and stealing cigarettes, but I also remember the fear I had about being found out. At this time there are many ,many people doing things they shouldn't be doing,consider the all the things that may include,adultery,stealing,lying,murder,alcholism. In our country I have mentioned the sexual abuse  practised by a famous person,which only came to light when he died. This has opened a can of worms, and it seems he was not on his own,one person has been arrested,and many others are living in fear in case the hidden things come to light. In one national newspaper I read the following,/ Major stars from the sixties/seventies are terrified of being named in connection with the J/S child abuse scandal according to PR Max Gilford/ This all reminds me of the words of Numbers 32v 23 / Be sure your sin will find you out/, the word sin may not be politically correct, but things have not changed,sin is still ,and if not repented off and forgiven ,will be found out,  and will be judged by a holy God.
A prayer..... /Dear God help us to forsake our sins,our secret sins, before we are faced with them at Your judgement seat in Jesus name. Amen /

Work. [ Colossians 3 v17 ]

 My job as a support does not entail to much physical work,with the exception of one day when I help run a group,this does not mean that it is not demanding,it brings with it challenges,in relation to those suffering from mental illness. I remember many years  when working as a labourer and I was pushing a wheelbarrow that  someone in passing said hard work is not easy,I did not needed to be reminded of this as I struggled with that wheelbarrow. I read this morning about dear Christians in  Kuwait who are exploited ,they start work at 4.30 am  and work till 5.30 pm .Work is important but not always fulfilling, I am fortunate that my job is,but as I have indicated I have had not so nice jobs,but they help to feed my children and keep the wolf from the door. I thank God that I have been working for over 20 years in my present job,I have experienced unemployment, so I know both sides of the coin.Today if you have a job,thank  God, if your job is difficult,a boss who is not very nice,don't become discouraged,or bitter,commit it all to God,and if you are unemployed ,remember you are precious and of worth.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us whither we are working or unemployed, in all things give thanks, in Jesus name Amen /

Relationship [ 2 Peter v 3 ]

There are three more things that are of vital importance in facing all that life throws at us,now they may sound obvious,but it is often the obvious that we miss. Here they are,Prayer, Bible study,and fellowship with fellow believers,all these things will be a means of grace, which none of us can neglect,and if we do we will suffer.These things involve our relationship with God, and our relationship with our fellow believers, the  Christian life is about relationship,before we came to Christ we really did not have a relationship with God[ Isaiah 59v2/  Ephesians 2 v 12]. Christs death on the cross has made it possible for us to have a relationship with God,when we trusted Jesus as our Saviour,so a relationship began anew.Now we can come into the presence of God in prayer with utter and complete confidence [Hebrews 4 v16 ], the next is the bible and the importance of reading it regularly. There was a time in history that the bible was a banned book ,but that has changed now most of us have the bible,and we have to read it consistently,praying over its pages, and living out its truths in our lives. Next fellowship that means meeting with fellow Christians and having fellowship with them. If we neglect any of those things, we will suffer in our relationship,let we stress again it is all about relationship.
Dear God we thank  You for Jesus though whom we have been brought into a living relationship with You,we thank You that through Him and all Your resources we can cope with whatever difficulties or challenges we are faced with, we  thank You in Jesus name Amen /.

We have the power. [ Romans 8 ]

I have in my garden solar lights and a neighbour has solar panels, they are powered by the sun,now it was our Saviour who said , that we would receive power by the Holy Spirit [ Acts 1 v8 ]. How am I going to cope with life?,by the power of the Holy Spirit,and let me say this ,that every Christian has the Holy Spirit, not just the Pentecostals,but every true child of God.One cannot be born again except by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will empower us to witness , and to live a godly life.He is called our comforter [John 14 v26 ]. It is Him who will grant us the power to cope [Ephesians 6 v10],in Ephesians 3 v20, we read of the power that worketh in us, that power is the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, the apostle writes about walking in the Spirit,of being led by the Spirit, and living in the Spirit.If you do not speak with tongues, it means that you don't speak with tongues,it does not mean you have not the Spirit of God, A clear evidence that we have the Spirit of God is by our fruits[ Galatians 5 v22-23/ Matthew 7 v16 ]As the sun empowers  solar lights and panels so the Holy Spirit can help you and I to cope with the difficulties and challenges of life.
A  prayer...../ Dear God fill us Your Spirit that we will be able to cope with the difficulties and challenges we have to face in Jesus name  Amen /

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 /.