Christs kingdom. [ John 18v36 ]

My Saviour said,/ My kingdom is not of this world [John 18 v36], just recently a former Archbishop of Canterbury writing in a national newspaper has criticised our Prime Minister,and his government,of  aiding and abetting secularisation within our society. The Prime Minister has pushed for gay marriages,many Christians believe that the government is not listening to their concerns. The fact of the matter is , our government and every other government,  will never represent the Kingdom of God,Jesus made it abundantly clear that His kingdom was not of this world.Many Christians find themselves under government's that are oppressive, and anti- Christian, when we vote we are not voting for the kingdom of God.As a Christian I have a dual nationality, I am a citizen of the United Kingdom and a citizen of Gods Kingdom. Whatever kingdom a Christian lives under ,they must be good citizen's,but that is not at the price of being told I have to change my religion,that I cannot have fellowship with other believers. In my own country I do not have that problem, but if I did then I must be prepared to take up my cross and follow Christ.It is interesting  in the same paper an agnostic wrote an article ,/The painful price we pay for love and the real meaning of Easter/,she wrote ,you cannot love without making sacrifices, and of the message of endurance that is entirely glorious/.
A  prayer...../ Dear Lord help Your people in whatever kingdom they find themselves in,to live as citizens of Your kingdom. Amen/

Failed again. [ John 8 v32 ]

And the children of Israel did evil again  in the sight of  Lord [ Judges 13 v1],it is easy to be over critical of Israel ,and forget that we are not so different. We are all inclined to repeat certain things that we know we shouldn't,take Peter,who had a wonderful revelation that Christianity was for everyone Jew and Gentiles[[Acts 10].Peter was in no doubt what this meant,but later he reverts back to his old way of thinking and acting ,and is rebuked by Paul [Galations 2 v11ff].The word of God stresses the importance on the renewing of our minds[Romans12v2] ,Proverbs 23 v7 stresses that we act out of how we think.it appears to me that,if I am going to break free from the sin that doth so easily besets me then I have to think differently.If my thought pattern does not change then I will not change,our Saviour was faced with people who had mind sets, based upon vain traditions,the traditions took over,and the truth of God,was not seen for what it was.Truth versus tradition,many churches have fallen into that trap,it is only the truth of Gods word that can set us free,there will be no change until we acknowledge and act upon Gods word. The unsaved person will not be saved until they gave up,their distorted way of thinking,and they embrace Christ who is the truth.Likewise as Christians we will never change if we continue to hold unto our old way of thinking,stop making excuses,stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and start standing firm on what Gods word teaches.
A  prayer...../Dear God so work in my life by Your Spirit, that I will think differently,according to word,and to act differently in Jesus name Amen /

Did Jesus smile?.[ Romans 12 v15 ]

Our Saviour was called a man of sorrows and rightly so,for He, more than anyone else understood the effect of sin and satan, upon this world.The demon possessed,sick,poor,the distortion of the word of God,resulting in harshness,the lack of compassion,also injustice was very prevalent,and He could see the heart of mankind.In coming into this fallen planet He redressed the balance in men's perception of God, that He was a God of love,to the Jew He taught that God loved this world.[Acts 1 v8 ],that God never meant the Jews to think that they should be the exclusive brethren.So He came this man of sorrows,motivated for mankind's highest good,to bring them into a relationship that was all inclusive, and all embracing. man , the hymn wrote, man of sorrows what a name, for the son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim.Here is a question,did Jesus ever smile?it is not recorded that He did,I suppose we do not want to lessen the truth that He was a man of sorrows,but I am sure that He smiled, I think it is important to say this, because many of us as Christians only relate to a Christ who never smiles on them.When one thinks on Islam it appears to be they have a god who never smiles, a god who is standing over people with a big,big stick to beat the living daylights out of his followers, if they deviate from the rules and regulations. I don't think Christs smile is an indulgent smile,but a smile of pleasure and love,do you not think He welcomes us with a smile when we come into His presence?,and surely He welcomes sinners with a smile when they turn to Him for forgiveness, maybe we should learn to smile a bit more .
A  prayer..../ Dear Lord help us to reflect You in all things ,to weep with those who,to rejoice with those who rejoice,and to  smile more. Amen.

It is just a matter of faith. [ Hebrews 11v6 ]

In the book by John Blanchard, ,/Does God believe in atheists?/I read the following,/It is certainly not a scientific matter to decide whether or not there is a God/ There are scientist like Richard Dawkins who I am sure is a brilliant scientist who declares that there is no God,he is an evangelistic atheist. Why should a scientist cross over into the area of faith?it appears to me that being an atheist is nothing to do  with science, but simply a case of rejecting the whole concept of faith. When the scientist would say the universe began with a big bang, I would simply have to say,that I believe that in the beginning God created heaven and earth. When the scientist would point to the suffering in the world,I would have to say that I believe that this is a fallen world,a world affected by sin.When the scientist would say that when one is dead, that is it,I would have to say that I believe,in an after life. You see it is a matter of faith that makes me a Christian,not science,not philosophy,not education,but simply faith.Faith in a God ,who sent His son Jesus into the world to die for our sins,and declares have faith in Him.The way of faith does not give us all the answers,but it brings us into a relationship with a God who has all the answers. Hebrews 11v6 ,reads,/Anyone who wants to approach God must believe, that He exists, and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him/
A prayer..../Dear God help us to hold fast to the truth,that knowing You, and walking with You is a matter of  faith, we ask this in Jesus name Amen /

What is heaven worth?.[ Matthew 5 v11-12]

Let those will mock and scorn your faith. What is heaven worth if you cannot bear a little shame,so wrote William Gurnall.I am no different than anybody else I like to be accepted,who wants to be thought a religious fanatic,to be ostracized,to be talked about,who wants that,but the fact is in our walk with Jesus we are bound to at times to be mocked ,scorned,and of course it can go further than that,with persecution.This world is not a friend of Grace,consider the words of Christ,/Blessed are ye,when men shall revile you,and persecute you,and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,for my sake[Matthew5 v11]The servant is not greater than is lord,if they have persecuted Me,they will also persecute you[John 15 v20] It is the way of the cross that leads home, let me repeat this it is the way of the cross that leads home,but our Saviour reminds us,/Rejoice,and be exceeding glad,for great is your reward in heaven[Matthew 5 v12] Remember it is the cross here, and the crown there,whatever degree we may be suffering,it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
A  prayer..../ Dear Lord grant us grace to bear with the,scorning and mocking of men,help us to daily take up our cross and follow You,and to know that it will be worth it all when we see Jesus Amen /

Good Friday. [ Isaiah 53 ]

The word good is an adjective a describing word, we use it in so many ways,good morning,good bye,good luck,we even use it to describe the Bible calling it the good book.One of my favourite cartoon characters , was Charlie Brown,and he often used the term good grief.He used this term when something would go wrong ,like his unsuccessful kite flying,or when the little girl  pulled away the ball every time he tried to kick it.Good grief,put together it appears a contradictory term, like good Friday ,how can the Christian church celebrate an event so grisly,horrendous,cruel,and horrible?The death of a man dying on a torture rack,called a cross,cannot be in anyway ,surely called good.Yet for all that,as Christians we call it good Friday,firstly because of who died on that cross, and secondly  why He died. Who was He ? He was that long awaited Saviour,the promised Messiah,His name was Jesus,He was unique,He never sinned, and He was the Son of God,the God man.Why then did He die? well on the cross He became a sacrifice for sin,sin that eternal barrier to a holy God,through His death all who believe in Him  receive forgiveness of sins,and so become children of God, so that is why we call it good Friday.
A  prayer......../Dear God we thank You., that You so loved this world  that You gave Your only begotten Son that if we believe in Him we would not perish but have everlasting life Amen /

A message of hope. [John 1 v1-14 ]

Karl Popper said that,/every scientific discover must remain tentative for ever/,John Blanchard sums it up by saying, ,/In true science , the latest word is never the last word/.Yet many scientist speak with an arrogance,that neglects to acknowledge this,it is sad that we hear reports on the news,how that they the scientist are discovering new knowledge as to how the universe began. A big bang ,and somehow everything fell into place,and somehow this little planet,was in the exact right place,for life to come into existence.Then somehow from sludge, life somehow formed,and somehow all the vast variety of life,came into being,and somehow creatures grew their own feathers,somehow ,and so we could go on. I am not saying things don't change, but somehow I cannot accept the impossible is probable,apart from God. Now we owe a lot to science and we should honour them,but only as people with a very incomplete knowledge, they are people who need to show a greater degree of humility,and speak from a position of limited knowledge.I  am a person of very limited knowledge ,but I do not believe in the god of science,or the god of evolution,but I do believe in God who made everything,of mankind who spoilt everything.I believe in God who through His son Jesus has made it possible for all things to be made anew. Easter is a message of hope for all mankind,it tells us that sin can be forgiven,and that even though we die we who have trusted Jesus shall live.
A  prayer....Dear God we come before You in awe and worship,the with whom nothing is impossible,we praise You for the miracle of creation,and the miracle of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen /