Tears. [ Romans 12 v15 ]

Let us consider tears,I watched a man cry yesterday,some think it is not manly to cry, but I read how Jesus wept [John 11v35] Tears are part of our humanity,as I grow older I am more inclined to shed tears,is that because my heart is more softer?.  I sometimes shed tears when I pray ,maybe not enough, it is amazing how hard some people can be,who have very little concern for the pain of others.People do dreadful things, at this time in our country,many celebrities are being charged with sexual offences,against children and others.They never appear to have any concern for what they have done,I heard a murderer of children trying to minimise his crimes, that of torturing and murdering children.,no tears,no tears . Behind so many closed doors,and hidden places ,many people are shedding tears,because of what others have and are doing to them,tears of pain,.For the child of God they have the consolation of knowing that one day all tears will be wiped away by the hand of  their Saviour.As you come into contact with people, remember behind the smile,the laughter there could be tears of pain,may God by His Spirit make us sensitive, to the hidden pain others are carrying.
A prayer..../Dear God soften our hearts to the pain others are suffering, and help us not to be ashamed to shed a tear,in the name of Him who was a man of sorrows ,we ask this Amen/

Tears. [ Psalm 126 v 5-6 ]

As I was out walking I noticed on the ground a  newspaper with  these words printed on it,/My mothers tears helped me to glory/I think,  it was in relation to sport,but I immediately,thought of a spiritual application.Consider how many sons/daughters have been brought to glory ,by the prayers, watered by the tears of a godly mother. In Psalm 56v8 David prays,/put Thou my tears into Thy bottle,are they not in Thy book/,seemingly there were such things as tear bottles,were a person who was suffering would have their tears caught in a bottle,that would be kept as a memorial.All prayers are not mentioned immediately,but David cries literally unto God to bear in mind his tearful prayers, and to answer. Many a  mother has had to wait for their prayers to be answered,it may have seemed that no answer was forthcoming,but God has not forgotten,not so. Consider the words of Psalm 126v 5-6./They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.He that goeth forth and weepeth,bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him./Remember as one person has said,/Tears over lost souls are never lost/,be they for your children ,neighbours or whoever.There is a certainty in those words of David, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,so don't weep tears of despair,weep tears as you pray of hope.
A  prayer..../ Dear God remember our tearful prayers for the lost especially those who are nearest and dearest to us in Jesus name Amen /

God is in control. [ Esther 6 v 1-14]

One of the books in the Bible I find fascinating is the book of Esther,it is a book that emphasises the providence of God,look for Gods providence even in the severest trials.To those involved in the events of this book it was a severe trial,the Jewish nation was going to be wiped out. Haman felt very grieved at a Jew called Mordecai,and because of that one thing,he was prepared to have a whole people wiped out,the very people in which the Messiah would come,Satan I believe was behind this,but God is sovereign not Satan,and in His providence He would turn every intentional evil act around,and bring about a wonderful deliverance.My study Bible declares,/Because God is in control of history,He is never frustrated by any turn of events or human action.He is able to save us from the evil of this world, and deliver us from sin and death/.Are you under threat of some sort?,God is more than able to turn events around,fear not the roaring of the enemy,of those who appear to be in control,and look to your God,who is in control,doubt not His power to deliver,you are the apple of  His eye ,His eye is upon you for good,not a hair of your head will perish.Remember behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face,read the book of Esther and see God providentially working, now look at your situation,no look beyond your situation to the God of Esther,and trust Him.
A prayer...../Almighty God we look to You to undertake for us Your children,to thwart the enemy of our souls,to work all things for our good,to deliver us,and make a way out of our situation, in Jesus Name Amen /

What a cost...[John 3 v16 ]

Most people who visit London go to  Trafalgar square ,where there is  a pedestal with a statue of Lord Nelson on it.It is Andrew Lambert who comments that it is there to remind the country,from whence their wealth, safety and strength came, and what a cost.England indeed ,and Europe owe a great depth to Lord Nelson ,and so we have his statue,not everyone appreciated Lord Nelson, and his achievements. In Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty the IRA blew a statue of Lord Nelson up,shortly after that a song came out,about that event.But let us return to that quotation, for when I read this I immediately thought of a greater than Nelson,even our Lord Jesus,Like Nelson He won a great victory,in defeating Satan, and providing  a place of forgiveness for mankind,and what a cost.Yes what a cost, He became obedient unto to death even the death of the cross.Salvation cost us nothing but it cost Jesus everything, going beyond the physical suffering,there was a suffering that none of us can fathom,that the wrath of God that was my due upon the Lamb was laid.This is what propitiation means[Romans 3 v25/ 1 John 2 v2/4v10/] As Vine puts it, it was a divine act, where God  dealt with sin and in so doing He could shew mercy to the believing sinner,so removing his guilt,and granting remission of sins.
A  prayer...... /Dear God what words can begin to express the awesomeness of all You accomplished through Your sons death on that cross,Love so amazing so divine demands my soul my life my all, in Jesus name we pray this Amen /

Grace for living. [ Hebrews 4 v16 ]

From grace for salvation to grace for living,now when we trust Christ as Saviour ,we have a life to live, that is different to the life we once lived. Baptisim  declares this,in baptism we are declaring that we have died to the old life, and are now living that new life,as Romans 6 v4 declares,as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,even so we also should walk in newness of life [.W Hendriksen,writes,/ a life dedicated no longer to sin, but to the glory of God  Triune].We are new creations,with a new disposition,a new nature,but we bring with us remnants of our old nature,sexual hangups,wrong emphasises,we all have something which we struggle with.Then the devil and his little helpers make us there special target and they will attack us, we must take this very serious,for if we don't, we will be the worse for it.Then we have the world, which the hymn tells us is no friend of grace,be not fooled we live in yes, Gods world,but everyone who lives in this world are not of God,for all men have not faith[2 Thessalonians 3 v2].What a lot of things we have to contend with,we can and must call on God for grace,which we are told is sufficient  [ 2 Corinthians 12 v9].John Newton, wrote,/Through many dangers,toils and snares,I have already come.Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home/.
A  prayers.../Dear God pour out Your grace upon our lives,that our lives will be longer be dedicated to sin,but to Your glory in Jesus name we ask this Amen /

A Heavenly Father.[1 John 3 v1 ]

This is fathers day ,I was in a store yesterday and the assistant commented how busy they were ,because of people buying gifts for their fathers. The commandments stress the importance of honouring our fathers and mothers[Ex20v12],with it comes a promise. In the normal course of life most people will be honouring their fathers today,but what about those dear children who have been abused by their fathers,forsaken by their fathers,denied contact with their fathers?.Just recently a portrait of our Queen was defaced by a father who is fighting for other fathers to have excess to their children.We live at a time when the family is under threat, when Children don't really know who their father is,we must be careful not to judge.I am 69 years of age ,and when I was young my mother and father separated,but at a very early age I discovered that I had a loving heavenly Father,and this knowledge filled the gap in my life ,of not having a father around. You may have lost your father ,you may have been forsaken by your father,you may not even know who your father is,or where he is. Don't dwell on that ,for it can do you more harm than good,today we can have a Father a lovingly heavenly Father,this comes about when we accept Jesus as our Saviour.[ John 1 v12].From experience I can assure you it will make a big difference in your life as it has in mine.
A  prayer..../Heavenly Father have mercy upon the fatherless,we pray that they come to know You through Your dear son Jesus Amen/

Grace tis a charming sound.[Romans 3 v24 ]

Recently I wrote upon the importance of mercy ,now let us consider grace,in its importance for salvation,and for living the Christian life. There is a saying ,nothing comes without a price, well here is an exception,the grace of God cannot be earned,Romans 3 v24, reads,/Being justified freely by His grace/. Horatius Bonar wrote....../Thy grace alone,O God, To me can pardon speak,Thy power  alone,O Son of God,Can this sore bondage break. No other work save Thine.No other blood will do.No  strength  save that which is divine.Can bear me safely through/.The bible speaks of salvation being a gift[Romans 6 v23],not of works [Ephesians 2v9]. Gods favour cannot be earned,let me stress this again,Gods favour cannot be earned,by a nice personality,by helping others,we must not judge things from our human reasoning,if we do,we will fail to appreciate Gods view point,and it is His view point that matters.The fact of the matter is we do not comprehend the the seriousness of sin,consider it was only one sinful act,by Adam and Eve to be excluded from the garden,and to usher in a fallen world.It began with a single act ,but the consequences of that one act,are all around us,and within us,rebellion,spiritual blindness,why are people slaughtering each other?why is there child abuse,and multitude of other abuses?,why is there a place called hell?. The answer is sin,and the only answer is the grace of God,which we can freely receive when by faith we trust Jesus to save us.
A  prayer..../Dear God help us to see,open our darkened minds,to see that it is only by grace, can we be saved through faith in Jesus, Amen/