Witnessing [Matthew 10 v16]

Sometimes it is hard to know whither to speak out or say nothing,witnessing for Christ is something all Christians should do,,but when to speak that is the question?.There seems to be we all need a degree of boldness,and a great deal of wisdom,as I grow older I am less inclined to speak,and that concerns me at times. My desire is that everyone without exception should know Christ,as I hope it is yours,but how to win them ,how to be a fisher of men,that is the question?That is the question I wrestle with ,I am sure we need to go forward prayerfully,to seek to be usable and effective ,how do we define effectiveness, depending on God?,yes, but we we need to ask God ,if there is anything we are doing that is stopping  Him, using us in an effective manner.The greatest barrier to effectiveness would be wrong practises ,our lives must be free from those things that cause people  not wanting to listen to are attempt,to speak to them about Christ.Jesus said let your light shine that men see our good works.[Matthew 5v16].Our Saviour continually challenged the religious  people,in regards to their hypocrisy,their hardness of heart,we must seek not only talk about Jesus but we must walk the walk. Often it is our walk that can grant us opportunities to  witness about Christ,but remember it is no guarantee that people will respond.The challenge for all us who know Christ, is to be His witness,by our lives and our words,and to leave the results with God.
A   prayer...../Dear God grant that You may use us to some degree to be effective witnesses for Your glory, in Jesus name Amen/

Our greatest resource. [ Luke 18v 1-7]

What is our greatest resource?,not our bank account,not our gifts,our greatest resource is prayer,what is Elijah remembered for,? prayer,what is the greatest,blessing that David left us ?prayer,his Psalms are but prayers put to song.What did our Lord do before Calvary?,He prayed,His crucifixion was peppered with prayer.The Devil would cause us to the doubt importance of Prayer,the pressures of life would cause us to have no time for prayer,the disappointments of life can cause us to despair ,and give up praying. There may appear many reasons not to pray,but there are overwhelming reasons to pray, our Saviour ,said that we should always pray[Luke 18v1], and He added , and not loose heart. We are called to perseverance in our Christian life [Ephesians 6 v18],and that includes prayer,indeed if we are going to persevere then we need to pray. In praying we are granted the strength to press on,there may be delays in our requests when we pray, God may not grant us our request when we pray,but there will be answers,needs will be met,doors will open,healing will take place,the enemy of our souls, will flee from us[James 4 v7].The saints prayers are precious to God,in Revelation 5 v8 they are seen as incense, arising to God, David prays,/Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense[Psalm 141 v2].You make think your prayers are weak,limited,and ineffective,but in Gods sight they are precious and pleasing,even in their imperfectness.
A  prayer...../Dear God grant us grace to pray in Jesus name Amen/

Prepare to meet Thy God. [ Amos 4 v12]

I have never heard of Black Friday,until yesterday,it originated in the United States in Philadelphia,it was called that because of congestion by traffic and predestines,out shopping the day after Thanksgiving.There are other reasons,but whatever the reason it is spreading all over the world,retailers like Walmarts , use it as special sales day ,where things are reduced greatly in price. This has even reached Belfast my home town,I know this as there was a news item,reporting on the violence by shoppers seeking bargains. I know we all love a bargain ,but as I watched the news item, I felt sad how people appeared to displaying sale rage. Later on I thought,if only those dear people would show the same concern for their souls,if only,but alas most of them ,live for the THINGS OF TIME.In Matthew 11v12,we read,/The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force./ It is Denney who wrote,that the/ Kingdom of heaven is not for the well meaning,but for the desperate/ I never suffered when I became a Christian, but many do, many in this world,suffer greatly,but inspite of this they are desperate for that which is of more value that a 42inch TV,Christ the pearl of greatest price.
A prayer..../ Dear God have mercy on mankind who so easily are blinded by earths fading glory,grant Lord that there will be turning to the person of Christ, who alone can save and satisfy Amen /

Dont Give up on people.[ Luke 13 v6ff]

I purchased an orchid about 15th months ago,the people I bought it from instructed me as to its care,it is called cool breeze,and had a lovely bloom on it.They bloom for a long period ,but they also take a long time before they bloom again. For over a year it has had no bloom on it,I had cared for it watering it ,pruning where necessary,and kept looking for a signs of a new bloom. I must confess I felt like throwing it out,because I bought it for its bloom of lovely flowers,not for its big green leaves. I wanted flowers,well the good news is I have noticed two shoots beginning to grow,hopefully I will have my desire ,it flowering.It reminded me of a story  in Luke 13 v 6ff our Saviour told of a man who planted a fig tree,and when he came to gather fruit from that tree,there was none on it.He spoke to the man he had put in charge of this fig tree,saying how for three years ,he had come looking  for fruit,but had found none,and his decision was to cut it down.The man in charge counsels patience,and not to give up on the plant,who knows it may bear fruit.W. Barclay,  mentions 3 things in relation to this story [1] Uselessness invites disaster. [2] Nothing which only takes out can survive. [3]It tells us of the gospel of the second chance.  What I see in this story is very simple,don't give up on people,who knows under God they may change,I will think of that every time I look at my orchid.
A prayer...../ Dear God we thank You that inspite of our stubbornness, You never give up on us,help us to not give up on anyone in Jesus name Amen /

Obey the warnings [Acts 16 v 25ff]

I am reading one of my favourite books,/The wind and the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame/ a story about animals ,and their adventures,I love the characters,Mole,Ratty,Badger,and of course Toad of Toad hall.Mole is a lovely little fellow,who gets himself into trouble,by going into the Wild Wood,His friend Ratty,tried to warn him not to go into the Wild Wood,but he didn't listen. It is a sad commentary on most of us,that like Moly we ignore the warnings , children are warned not to talk to strangers,yet thousands of children are ignoring that warning,by going unto the inter-net,and responding to perverts,pretending to be their friend. Consider how many people ignore the warnings on cigarette packets,and still smoke,with all the consequences that can bring.People ignor the warning that they should  not use there mobile phones while driving,and find themselves in deep trouble with the law,simply because they ignored the warning.As I read the OT I read of a people who were continually being warned of the consequences of disobeying God,by ignoring Gods messengers.Gods warning must be taken seriously . If you are not saved ,is it not time for you to begin to take the warnings from God seriously?, a life without Christ,a death without Christ,brings with it a severe warning,of eternal judgement,ignore this at your cost, obey the warnings,before it is to late.
A  prayer...../Dear God help us to not ignor the warnings that you give,help us to flee from the wrath to come in Jesus name Amen]

The Bread of Life.[John 6 v 35]

I must confess that I love bread,I like trying different types of bread,like pumpkin seed,cranberry and orange loaf,walnut loaf,potato bread,wheaten bread,and my own particular favourite soda farls. Bread is called the staff of life,a basic food, without it many people would  starve to death. In John 6, we read how Jesus fed thousands of people with a few loaves and fish,this reminded the people of the manna that Israel lived on in their wilderness wanderings. The people Jesus fed thought that here was someone who would feed them,they would not have to go hungry,so they clamoured after Him. The miracles in Johns gospel are seen as signs,pointing a vital truth,all the people saw was the bread and Jesus their meal ticket.So Jesus began to teach them the meaning of the miracle,He clarifies their wrong understanding as regards the manna,God gave that 6v32,not Moses, lets us not rob God of the glory due to His name.Then He mentions the true bread that has come down ,here He is not talking about the manna,but Himself,He is the bread of life,and if they receive Him they would experience everlasting life,mankind has a deeper need that bread from the bakers,and it is to be found in Jesus[v 35]  In Christ ,W Barclay writes,/Life is there for the taking- and the refusing/,so whats it to be ?
A  prayer...../ Dear God we thank You for Jesus the bread of life who alone can save and satisfy Amen/

Pass it on.[2 Corinthians 1 v3-4]

There is a saying ,that there is no gain without pain,having just been to the physiotherapist,I hope that this is true.It is true that there are a lot of painful experiences,which can bring forth gain,an operation,going to the dentist,going to the gym,and so on. Let us read the following from the Message,/God of all healing coumsel,He comes along side us when we go through hard times, and before you know it,He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times,so we can be there for that person just as God was there for us 2 Corinthians 1 v 3-4 ]My heart goes out to those in need, because I remember when I was in need,my heart goes out to those who have suffered, because of the things I have suffered. I know the pain of being in the ministry,and I suppose my heart goes out to our young pastor, and would not want anybody to hurt him.God permits us to go through painful experiences,and He comes to us, when we are hurting,comforts us,upholds us,and most of all stands by us.So it is when we meet those who are going through difficulties,let us help in whatever way we can . God said  many times for Israel to remember there former state,and how He had helped them,so they are called act in a similar manner,to those in need.If you are suffering,or have suffered,and experienced Gods comfort,pass it on ,to a fellow sufferer.
A  prayer..../ Dear God thank You for the comfort You show us in our trials,help us to comfort others who are experiencing pain,be it physical,mental or even spiritual, in Jesus name Amen /