I shed a tear. [ Isaiah 9 v6 ]

Last night I  went to hear a choir sing of the Christ event,there was  also a computer display on a screen ,that enhanced the singing. As I listened to the choir and watched the screen, I was touched,I didn't applaud, I just shed a tear,for it brought home to me afresh the wonder of the incarnation. We all need moments in our lives when what what we believe, touches our hearts, and causes us to weep,not tears of sadness,but tears of wonder ,tears of gratitude, such where my tears.Christmas is many things to many people, family,friends,presents,food,but of course it is more so much more,it is about the greatest mystery ever manifested,and it began with a babe. Who was that little frail child?, non other than God with us, Immanuel [Matthew 1 v23 ],and why did He come?why should such a thing take place?. The answer is very profound, and yet so simple,love,yes love for you and me,yes a love that brought Him from heaven. Yet that was only the first step, the ultimate fulfilling and meaning of His coming, is in His name,Jesus,for it means saviour. What or who would He save?,sinners,that means you and I,how would He save?. Again we have a great mystery ,He would become a sacrifice on a cross.
             O how I love Him, how I adore Him,
             My breath my sunshine, my all in all.
              The great creator became my Saviour,
             And all Gods fullness, dwelleth in Him.
              [W. E. Booth- Clibborn ]
A  prayer..../ Father God we worship You through Your dear Son Jesus,we are touched when we consider Your Love Amen /
             

God is. [ Psalm 46 ]

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble[Psalm 46v1]Are you troubled today?are you worried about your family,your job, your health?,the list could go on and on and on. So today consider this lovely Psalm,these opening words,it starts by telling us that God is a refuge.What is a refuge? it is a place of safety,we have women's refuges,where they can go to escape abusive husbands.Maybe you feel threatened where you live,yes even in your home,where can you flee to?,the answer is to the Lord who will keep you safe. Next the Psalmist  tells us that the Lord is our strength,are you feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of life?,are you feeling you cannot go on?are you feeling weak and inadequate?,well today spend time with your Lord,look to Him ,He will grant unto you the strength you need. Next are you in trouble?, troubles come to us in many shapes and sizes, look to God in your trouble, He will help you,it says so in His word, so it must be true. Verse 2 declares , Therefore will not we fear, we are told not throw away our confidence,it will be rewarded [Hebrews 10 v35 ],today trust Him, He will not fail you.
A  prayer...../ Dear God we praise You that we are not on our own,that You are with us,You will keep us safe, You will give us strength, You will help us,we thank You in Jesus name Amen /

Are we up to the challenge? [ Acts 10 ]

I heard something recently that goes like this, a couple were seeking to take bibles into a strict Muslim country, and their car broke down.As they were figuring out what to do, nomads came along,and the nomads approached them and said, are you the ones who are bringing us the book of life. Here is a similar story,a Christian lady was in an Muslin  country,she pulled into a petrol station,and standing near by was a man carrying a gun,and the Lord spoke to her ,go give that man a bible.She thought that it was to dangerous,so she drove of, but the words she had heard persisted,so she went back and prayerfully went to the man,,and offered him  a bible, he told her that he was told to wait there, and someone would bring him the book of life.It is more and more difficult to reach people with the gospel,in Muslin countries,it has become like it was under Communism, this presents a tremendous challenge. But God is up to the challenge, the question is are we?
A  prayer...../ Dear God in a world that is becoming more and more intolerant to Your Gospel,help us to arise to the challenge of telling others about Christ,use us in what ever way it takes to rescue the perishing,in Jesus name Amen./

Being confident. [ Psalm 138 v8 ]

The apostle wrote,/Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ[Philippians 1 v6 ]. I thought on on this ,this morning, and was encouraged,  because often one looks at others,and mostly ones self,and one can despair. As to others well we can pray ,sometimes that is all we can, but as I said to someone who told me that he prayed and fasted for a particular person he was concerned about, your prayers have not been wasted. You see it appeared that his prayers were not bringing the desired effect,I am sure we have all that experience,but I believe they will, our prayer requests are like uncashed cheques,they are lodged in the bank of heaven,God has not forgotten them, or  like a bill that people refuse to pay.God will in his way and in His own time cash in that cheque. The apostle Paul did all he could to build up the church at Philippi,as indeed we should do with our churches, our families , and ourselves,but Paul's confidence was not in Paul. His confidence was in God, in the Lord Jesus Christ,and that is were our confidence should be,we can change no one, but He can, He will not leave the job half finished,nothing is to hard for Him.
A  prayer...../Dear God Grant us the grace to not despair as regards the imperfections we see in others, and ourselves, help us to have faith to trust You to perfect that which concerns Your children , in Jesus name Amen /

I speak at small gatherings of believers, they are but the remnants of former days,the folk who attend are lovely Christians. The thing is, unless God chooses to intervene,the gatherings will cease to be, and all  that be will  left is the building. Those folk have prayed as indeed I have that God would intervene,I often passed one particular church and would pray for it,but now it lies redundant. So what can one do?well let me tell you,and in telling I hope we will be guided by God the Holy Spirit.Recently I could not find one of my favourite books,I have a lot of books,but yesterday I found it,it is called the Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink, and in finding that book I was reminded again of that great truth, the sovereignty of God.Jesus our dear Saviour said He would build His church.[ Matthew 16v18]. Yes He will build His church ,and we must bow always to that reality,He is building His church,in the most difficult of places,in places one would never imagine,we need not fear as regards His church, in the end, it is His church,not ours, we are but part of that church.He can if He chooses revive even small gatherings. So let us not despair ,but by faith look unto Jesus the one who is our Sovereign Lord,who will build His church.
A  prayer....../Dear God let us to hold unto the fact that You are sovereign,over the world, over us,over Your church ,in Jesus name Amen /

Freedom not licence. [ Galatians 5 ]

One of the big concerns in our country is maintaining a free press, and finding some way to regulate them,a free press is very important and I would be very unhappy if that was changed. The first thing totalitarian government's do to is control the press,for they don't want people to know what they are really doing,don't want, their dark deeds reported. Yet much an all, as I want a free press ,I, and many people feel they have abused their freedom, causing a lot of pain ,hurting and acting in ways that are criminal.Sometimes it appears to me that people are being tried by the press, instead of by the legitimate legal procedures.In Galatians 5v1, the apostle Paul reminds the Christians ,that,/It was for freedom that Christ has set us free/,they were in grave danger of going back into the bondage of the law.So Paul writes to seek to encourage them to stand firm in the truth of the Gospel,and in v13ff he reminds them that freedom is not licence to act in an unloving or unholy manner.The road we are on is a narrow way,and we must not stray unto the broad way,that would only lead to bondage. We can be so easy deceived into walking in paths of unrighteousness, because we have not listened to Gods word ,likewise we have failed to be led by Gods Spirit,and when that happens, we are no longer free.
A  prayer....../Dear God in a world were so many people are not free ,spiritually,intellectually,and morally,we ask that they may know the liberating power of Jesus, in His name we ask this name, and we also pray that we who have been set free in Christ may not use our freedom as a licence for wrong practises Amen/

Works without faith. [ Ephesians 2 v8-9 ]

 James in his epistle stresses the importance of works, not for salvation but as an evidence of salvation,he writes that  faith without works is dead[2v17], but what about works without faith?. There are many ,many people who do good works ,every year millions are collected for children in need.. Muslims at Rama dam are taught to do good works now all this is commendable,also the Christmas season is a time when people manifest a spirit of generosity. The answer is ,while good works are commendable they have no bearing on our being accepted by God, good works are just that good works,they do not  commend us to God, or  in any shape or form,  grant us a standing before God. Neither the works of the law[Galatians 2v16] or the good works that we may do[Ephesians 2 v8-9] can give us standing before a holy God. I use the term holy so that we may begin to understand that like oil and water,holiness and sinfulness don't mix. In saying this I am emphasising the biblical truth that sins separate us from a holy God [Isaiah 59 v2 ]Not until sin is dealt with can we have any hope of being accepted by God,our works count for nothing,the only thing that counts in Gods sight is when He sent His only begotten Son, to do a work that no one else could do,to die on a cross. On that cross justice and mercy kissed each other,and the way was opened for sin to be forgiven. Here is what our Saviour said, in John 6 v29. /The work of God is this, to believe in the one He has sent/
A  prayer...../ Dear God help not to be fooled into thinking that we are saved.by  our good works , and make us acceptable in Your sight, for You have made it clear in Your word ,that only the work of Jesus on the cross is the  ground on which we are saved Amen /