Suffering,Sovereignty,Salvation. [ Revelation 7 v 10=17 ]

A number of us met to sing carols outside a local store ,we also give out leaflets,mince pies and other things,this we did in spite of the rain.I thought a few pieces of music would have suitable,Handels water music,Singing in the rain, and there shall be showers of blessing.Many of the people expressed thanks for seeking to bring a little bit of Christmas cheer,we hope we did.In our country we have experienced a tremendous lot of rain this year. The result many dear people have had to leave their homes because of flooding,hopefully most of them are insured, but not all,so for them it wont be a very  merry Christmas. Let us remember in prayer those affected by such events,also let us pray for many dear Christians who are suffering,violence,homelessness,I just read this morning of the Christians in Syria and their suffering. The so called Arab spring has become a time of great uncertainty for Gods people,when the true nature of Islam is being manifested,by intolerance,and violence. We are not exaggerating the situation,but we must not loose hope, or despair, for as I often remind you and myself God is still on the throne and He will remember His own.Also in this dark world of sin the dear Christ will still enter into the hearts of those whom God in His sovereign grace will choose.
A  prayer....../Dear God have mercy upon this suffering world, and especially Your dear children who are suffering, in Jesus name Amen/
A  prayer...../Dear God we praise You that You are sovereign over all things,uphold Your dear people in Syria and in many other place where Your people  are suffering,and in the midst of suffering build Your church,dear Lord and Saviour Amen /

Going beyond being generous.]Romans 12 v1 [

I believe God is the giving God,He in other words is a very generous Being, He giveth and giveth and  giveth again. But it suddenly struck me that He is a sacrifical God, maybe that seems obvious, for surely in  giving His son we see sacrifice,it cost God dearly,I mean the whole Godhead,for Christ coming into this world involved ,all three within the Godhead, and that cost.Yes God is generous,but He is also sacrificial.Now I asked myself the question am I living a sacrificial life?,now I would say I am a reasonably generous person,but what about sacrifices  do I make?,or am prepared to make?I think it becomes a bit scarey when I think about it, and to be honest I have not given to much thought to it. May be I need to think a bit more about ,presenting my body as a living sacrifice , each day.This is something I have to give more thought to,I sort of remember a saying by someone, which goes something like, /If Christ be God and give himself for me then there is no sacrifice to great or me to make/. This is not about making a resolution, nor is it  just about money,and its not about making anybody  feeling guilty,goodness there is enough of that about, no it is about ,acting in ways that the reality of Christ in my life, not just in word, but also in deed. Nor am I calling for someone to be a martyr,although it may require that of us, no I want us all to be open to the Spirits leading, not guilt filled actions.
A  prayer..../Almighty God we bow before You with thankful heart for Your sacrificial  love to this world, and to us individually, in sending Jesus to die for our sins Amen /

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Vanity fair. [ 1 John 2 v 15-17 ]

I must confess I think the most stupid adverts on the TV are those advertising perfume or aftershave, they try to convince us that if we will wear,this or that perfume or in my case aftershave,girls will get the boys, and the boys will get the girls.  There was a time of course when  men didn't wear aftershave, it was considered effeminate, many years ago I heard a speaker tell how a woman spoke to a preacher of wearing perfume, and he replied it was obvious she wasn't., we all laughed at this. They say advertisement pays , but it doesn't always pay to take them to serious, all some of them are good for, is giving one a bit of a laugh. I wonder would they sell many chocolates if  a very obese person was doing the advert,or if there was a warning on the packaging . I have got into the habit of reading the leaflet that comes with my medication to understand the benefits but also to understand the side effects. I wonder how it would effect the sales of cars,if it had a notice on it that tells us the side effect,like this car can kill,Maine and injure. The world advertises sex,violence,wealth,gambling,drink ,they never tell you the side effects,do they?but the word of God does,it always reminds us of the things we do not want to hear, that there is always consequences,as a person sows so shall they reap, that if you play with fire you will be burned.
A  prayer..../Dear God, help us to not be fooled by so much that is on offer, in vanity fair, in Jesus name Amen /

When the season ends. [ Lamentation 3 v 22=23 ]

I receive Christmas cards and I send and give many,I suppose it is a bit of chore to write and send them,and maybe we feel there is not much point to it. Now I work with mentally ill people ,and one person in particular told me the number of cards he had received,that appeared important to to him.It appeared to me that it encouraged him and affirmed that people cared,that he was not alone.When God created man He declared that it was not good for man to be alone [Genesis 2 v18],things have not changed,and it seems to me that people still have that need for other people.In spite of a world that's population has grown into billions,people still feel lonely and isolated,the Beatles sang of all the lonely people were do they all come from?. At Christmas we make a special effort to contact people ,families get together,we give gifts,we feel a compassion for people, and all that is good. I am sure you have seen the little stickers on cars windows which reads,puppies are not just for Christmas,well making a special effort sending gifts,feeling compassion, is not just for Christmas,these are not things that should disappear,when the Christmas music stops,or when the Christmas tree comes down.
A  prayer ..../ Dear God,we thank You for all the goodness of Christmas,but help us to not let it cease, when the season to be jolly has finished, in Jesus name Amen /

Am I living a lie?. [1 John 4 v20 ]

There are some people like Hitler who are born liars,telling lies is not a thing the Christian should be involved in,those who believe in Him who is the truth,should not tell lies. I suppose most of us would agree with that,and yet consider what John has to say to us from his epistle,/ If a man say,I love God,and hateth his brother, he is a liar.[ 1 Jn 4 v20]/and in fact it is a contradiction as John goes on to say,/for anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen/.John was called the beloved disciple,and ended his days in Ephesus,and it was said that when he was a very old man, and had to be carried into the fellowship, he would continually say, love one another. Continually in his 1st epistle he stresses the importance of loving one another. In fact the whole epistle stresses love,God is love ,and that who ever lives in love,lives in God, and God in Him[1st Jn 4 v16]. If we are an angry bitter soul with unforgiveness in our hearts,then we are out of fellowship with God. John again stresses ,that whoever loves God must love his brother [4v21]. This loving our fellow Christians is an evidence that we are a true child of God,this love will always forgive,always give,always manifest what love is, as is shown to us in 1st Corinthians 13. When our dear Saviour spoke about loving ,He said it was a commandment, [John 13 v 34-35],it is a telling witness to a world torn asunder by hate,and bitterness.The question is are we keeping this commandment?.
A  prayer...../Dear  God, forgive us for not loving as You love,  grant us the grace to love all we meet,and especially Your dear children in Jesus name Amen /

How to spot a liar. [1 John 2 v22 ]

I have an aftershave called Truth, one of my sons give it to me , once I spray it on I cannot smell it ,but others do,and comment how nice a smell it gives of.[ By the way this is not an advertisement ]  How important is truth?,and where can one find truth?,well one will not find it in a bottle of aftershave, nor will you find it in Crystals,or in the cinema,or any of the great philosophers,or in cults,or  in the variety of religions that are in the world,of which there are many, or politics. One finds it in the Bible,but it goes even further than just finding it in the Bible. The Bible means a lot of things to a lot of people,and an awful lot of  what they believe is wrong,John in his epistle ,writes that anyone who denies that Jesus is Christ is a liar.[1 John 2 v22] Christ means Messiah, the anointed one, the long promised one, from the beginning of time.Marshall in his commentary ,writes a number of things about this verse./ For  John the height of  heresy is too deny that Jesus is the Messiah,the Son of God and Saviour/ Things have not changed, for Gods truth does not change, nor ever will.As you consider the child in the manger this  Christmas,ask God to give you a fresh revelation as to He was and is,and whole fast to that revelation, let no one rob you of the truth as to who Christ really is. As I put on the aftershave called truth, so let us put on the truth of the word of God,let us walk in that truth,let us tell others of this truth, that truth can be like my aftershave a sweet smelling fragrance, a saving fragrance[ 2 Corinthians 2v 15]
A prayer...../Dear God save us from believing a lie, for if we do then we become liars, in Jesus name Amen/.

Strengthen us [ Psalm 27 ]

As a Christian we have a tremendous advantage over the non Christian ,this is not statement of pride but  a humbling reality. As I prayed with my wife I prayed about the natural and the spiritual,for there is the natural and the spiritual,and the lesson we continually being taught by God is that without Christ,  we can do nothing [John 15 v5 ]. Now this is hard lesson to learn in fact we will always till the day we die or Christ comes , be learning this lesson.If we going to cope,if we are going to learn to endure,if we are going to overcome difficulties, if we are, I am sure you get the picture.  The great apostle that man of great learning,and abilities declared unashamedly that everything he did was in the strength of the Lord [ Philippians 4 v13 ]. In other words he needed  the Lord to help him in all things, we are no different, no matter how educated we are, how gifted we are, we need to learn to lean heavy upon the Lord, 24/7.The hymn writer wrote I dare not take one step without Thine aid, Habakkuk the prophet declared,the Lord God is my strength [3v9 ]. If we limited in abilities then we must not give into despair ,but we must see that in Gods strength we can do those things we have to do.As I look back I am amazed how the Lord has helped me,I know that our strength can wane,but not Gods.
A  prayer......./Dear God keep us from self reliance,help us to see that we need Your strength for each new day ,and each new task , in Jesus name strengthen us Amen /