There is forgiveness. [Psalm 130]

Psalm 130 ,begins,/Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee ,O Lord/ here we have a cry of a person who is his really down, and yet out of that dark experience,he composes a prayer and a song,that would bless multitudes. There are many reasons why a person may feel so distressed,the death of a loved one,persecution,injustice,but in this case it is in relation to his sin,as I consider the laws that are being passed in our Parliament, it could easy drive one to the depths of despair. Yet when I consider my own sin,there is still within me and indeed in all of us,a depth of depravity,I am glad you cannot see my heart. Lockyer wrote,/here in Psalm 130,there is no complaint about others- only about the writer himself- his own sins iniquities and desires/ .Well what can one do when overwhelmed by a sense of one sinfulness?,he reasons with God,v3,/If Thou shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord ,who shall stand?, the answer is no one,the fact is the whole world is full of sinners,and I sometimes wonder why does God not just wipe us all out, like a spoilt dinner on a plate that is only fit to be thrown into the waste bin, yet God doesn't . Why? Because there is forgiveness with Him,that Thou may est be feared, Lockyer ./Thus, Divine forgiveness, called the smile of God, binds the forgiven one to Him in a reverential trust and love/.
A prayer..../ Dear God we praise You that there is, yes, there is forgiveness with You,a holy God, but a forgiving God, and a God who is to be feared,we pray this in Jesus name Amen /

But what way? [Acts 26 v 19 ]

A thought came to my mind this morning,/ God will make a way,but what way?, in Acts 16 v6-7 we read how Paul and his companions were kept back from preaching the word in the province of Asia,likewise when they tried to enter a place called Bithynia the Spirit would not allow them. It reminds me of my experience,as a young man ,my wife and I felt the call of God upon our lives,so we went to Bible college, before that we had tried to go with New Tribes mission ,later we applied to go to Brazil, then to the Irish Baptist mission,but none of these doors opened up.Did that invalidate our calling ?, no, no more than it invalidated Pauls calling,it was just Gods way of leading us to His appointed place. God will open a way,but the question is what way?what way is He leading you?do you feel the call upon your life? ,seek and you shall find,the door may open right away for you,it may not. God leads us in many ways before we reach His appointed destination, but we will reach it,what God starts He will finish,He will not leave us to flounder half way there.Paul was finally called to go to Macedonia,where God blessed His ministry, and a church came into being
A  prayer......./Dear God grant us grace to obey Your call in our lives,to be guided by Your Spirit in Jesus name Amen /

Our ultimate reward . [ Romans 8 v18 ]

Just recently a scandal has broken out in relation to a hospital,the old and vulnerable were neglected,they were not cared for,those in charge lost sight of the fact that patient care is more important ,than status,and reaching targets.One wonders why this was allowed to happen,why the staff went along with it,why?but they did,yes they were trained professionals,but they lost sight of the truth,that when love is absent,people suffer.I work in the caring profession,to me it is not just a job,it is a calling to care and to love those I serve. The story of the good Samartian comes to mind, a man was attacked and left for dead,two very religious people,ignored him,again consider how much cruelty ,and pain has been inflicted by religious people,we point to Islam,but the Church or those who represent the church have been guilty,also of awful things. Torturing ,burning people,judging people with a proud severity which is far removed from our loving Saviour,so often He cut across such things,and declared He had not come to condemn, but to save, so often He took a stand  for the marginalised,He never went along with the crowd.Such love cost,He did not always receive thanks from those He helped,He was not awarded a CBE,MBE ,or a knighthood,no they did not crown Him,with a crown of gold, but with a crown of thorns,and His  reward was a cross, but His ultimate reward was eternal. [Hebrews 12v2 ]
A prayer ....../Dear God help us not  to compromise in our service to others,to never forget the importance of love, in Jesus name Amen /

I once was blind. [ Pslm 19]

One of the things I miss is seeing the stars, oh yes I can see some,not many,living in a built up area ,with its street lighting ,it makes it hard to see more than a few stars.I wonder if the stars were more easy to see,would it make people more God conscious?all most people can see is this earth,and that's all. People are to earth bound ,the Psalmist declared, /The heavens declare the glory of God,and he goes on to say that they are speaking to mankind,[Psalm 19],but as I said that voice is silent,to many people,because of street lighting etc.Now of course seeing the stars may not have any effect upon people,other than something to admire, Ibiza is known for its lovely sunsets, and many tourists, make their way to the beach in the evening to view its beauty,but that's all it is to them, a thing of beauty. Most do not see God who created such beauty,but one day they will,but then it will only add to their condemnation,not their salvation. Yet even acknowledging God as a creator, is of no avail,if one has not had a saving revelation, many people do believe in a God of creation,but do not believe in Christ by whom all things were created.I may not see many of the stars, but I have never seen Christ,but I have had a divine revelation of Him, who is my Saviour,yes I once was blind but now I see.
A  prayer......./ Dear God we thank You that Your handy work is all around us,in a flower,a sunset,and the stars,but most of all we praise You,that in Jesus we see one who made all things,and by His death on a cross,died to bring us to Yourself Amen /

Blessed Trinity.[ Ephesians 4 v 4-6 ] ]

My pastor was speaking on creeds,the Apostles creed, the Nicene creed,and the Anthanasian creed,I believe that they are important,for in a changing world, they remind us that there are things that do not change.The creeds remind us who God is a Triune being,There are those who say we worship three gods, but not so,the Anthanasian creed lays great stress on the trinity, it is a long creed,but here are a few things which it says,/We worship one God in Trinity,and in unity, neither confusing the Persons, nor dividing the divine Being. The Father eternal, the Son eternal,and the Holy Spirit eternal,but yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.the Father is God,the Son is God,and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.All three Persons are co-eternal with each other and co-equal/ It is vital that we hold fast to this Biblical truth ,to not be swayed by human reasoning,ours or others. Mankind is good at inventing gods, Israel said, let us make us gods [Exodus 32v1 ], and so it is,that there are many so called gods, in this world. But there is only one true God,the God who has revealed Himself through His word,Father,Son ,and Holy Spirit,blessed Trinity
A  prayer....../ Dear God we thank You that You have revealed Yourself through Your word,as the triune God,Father Son and Holy Spirit Amen/.

A way of escape. [Acts 16 v31 ]

Yesterday we considered the resurrection in relation to the believer,but what about the unbeliever?, well it is in the book of Daniel ,where we read in 12v3/Many who have been long dead and buried will wake up,some to eternal life,others to eternal shame/ In Revelation 20 we read of the great white throne when all  will be judged,this is not a judgement of the believer,but the unbeliever,their lives will be weighed in the balance and found wanting.They will be condemned to an eternal existence without mercy,and love, in that place called the lake of fire.Matthew 25v 46,reads, /And these shall go away into everlasting punishment/,the soul is eternal,and will live eternally,for the unsaved that means an eternity ,in hell.The question one  really needs to ask oneself is where shall I spend eternity?the answer is this,in hell,if I have not trusted Jesus as my Saviour. The reason Jesus came and died, was for the purpose of saving people from such an awful fate,as we are  reminded continually in the Bible. Jesus is a  Saviour,He shall save His people from their sin [Matthew 1 v21]. The consequence of unforgiven sin,is severe,God must judge sin, must,he cannot overlook sin,cannot ignore it,were sin remains,unforgiven it must be judged,must. But God who is loving desires that all may be saved, has provided a way of escape,and unless we take it ,we will be judged ,and condemned to a lost eternity.But the good news is this,that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [John 3 v16 ]
A prayer...../ Dear God  we thank You for Your love in sending Jesus ,and that through Him we can be saved Amen .

Believest thou this? [John 11v 1-46]

On a recent program on the TV called Africa,which focused on the awesome desert called the Sahara,we were shown a plant that that was but a dry whithered plant. To the naked eye it was dead,but when was a little drop of rain ,it came alive, it is called the Resurrection plant.I immediately saw the truth which to the presenter, and to many who were  watching,were blind to,of the coming day, when the resurrection of humanity will take place. As one looks at death,,and the body,it appears that is the end,especially when a persons ashes are scattered on the sea or where ever. How can there be a resurrection?,how can a body that that has been consumed by worms, eaten  by fish,or wild animals,come back?,surely when its gone it is gone.  To our human reasoning it is impossible,but what is impossible with man is possible with God. The event that happened in a place called Bethany,were a man called Lazarus had died,and was in a  process of corruption,is an evidence,shown by Jesus of the resurrection of the dead.[ John 11] There is of course the evidence of Jesus Himself ,Jesus   who was crucified,,was laid in a tomb,but He is not there He is risen. And He says to all humanity,I am the resurrection, and the life, he that believeth in Me,though he were dead yet shall he live[v25].
A  prayer.../ Dear God we thank You that because of Jesus ,death has not the final say,and that through Him there is hope beyond the grave,for all who believe in Him . Amen /