No looking back [ Luke 9 v51]

Let us now consider the last of the three men,[Luke 9 v61-62],He declares  boldly to  Jesus, I will follow thee,now that sounds good,you remember what James and Peter did in  [Matthew 4 v22],they immediately left the ship,and their father,and followed Him.this man in Luke 9v61-62,did not do this,he added let me first go,bid them farewell,which are at home at my house.Instead of looking forward he was looking back,the very thing we must not do,it would appear that to linger over the past,could disqualify us from Gods kingdom.I wonder do you think that what Jesus said was a bit extreme?.many people live in the past,are stuck in the past,and unwilling to move forward.W  Barclay, writes,/The Christian marches on, not to the sunset,but to the dawn. The watchword of the kingdom is not backward,but forward/.When God called me to England I did not spend my days moping about Ireland,no I am here,and here I will stay,if God wants me to move on I will move on. Lots wife looked back and lost all,Paul the apostle looked forward, and gained all.We read how our Saviour,steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem[Luke 9 v 51],and what awaited Him there?, suffering,and what awaited Him beyond the suffering?, Glory.[Hebrews 12 v2]
A   prayer / Dear Saviour help us not to waste our lives looking back, but to be like You,to steadfastly look forward, to  the joy of an eternal kingdom. Amen /

Lovest thou Me more than these[John 21v 1-16]

Let us consider the next person whom our Lord speaks to in Luke 9 v57-62, we read that Jesus speaks to the man ,and simple says ,follow Me. The man answers with what appears to be a very genuine answer,Lord yes he calls him Lord,but that's as far as he was prepared to go.Then he says ,permit me to first go and bury my father.As I said this appears to be a genuine request,but Jesus cut across it,with the following words,Let the dead bury their dead,but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.it is W .Barclay who points out that in all probability the mans father was not dead,he may have been saying when my father dies I will follow you. Remember Jesus in challenging the man was not advocating an uncaring attitude towards his father,but rather to simply obey Him.In many places when one becomes a Christian,it means being cut off from ones family,there will be those today who will hear those challenging words from Jesus ,follow Me. We have to make a choice,we cannot continue to sit on the fence,no matter how seemingly legitimate are reasons appear to be.It is a matter of obedience and trust,and indeed it is a challenge as to  our love for Jesus,remember what Jesus said to Peter ,do you love me more than these?[John21 v15]
A  prayer....../ Dear God help us to love You ,with all our heart,soul, and mind in Jesus name Amen/

A reality check. [Luke 9 v 57-58]

In  Luke 9v57-62 ,we read of three people ,who are challenged as regards following Jesus, the first says to Jesus./I will follow Thee,whithersoever Thou goest/. We applaud his enthusiasm,but it is obvious that he did not appreciate what  that would mean.Enthusiasm can blind us to the reality,of what a commitment means,when a young couple stand before God on their wedding day,a wedding day that can be divorced from reality,they look at each other,all  made up in glorious technicolour,they do not think of the future realities,that he or she may snore,that the wedding has to be paid for,that she may have children,but she will have to keep working,look after the kids,and run a home. Shakespeare,wrote,/The course of true love,never did run smooth/.they take their vows,but when it comes to the reality to fulfil those vows,that's another story. The man said Lord ,I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest,then Jesus cuts in and says ,listen to what it means to follow Me,Jesus tells him how it is for Him,it is sacrificial,not many if any home comforts,and as it is for Him so it will be   for those who choose to follow Him. This challenges the so called prosperity gospel,and rightly so,it is the  way of the cross that leads the saint home,was this man willing to accept this ,and to follow Jesus,the question is, are we?.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to be willing,  to be willing,in our commitment to Thy son Jesus Amen /

It is agressive.[Hebrews 4 v 13-15 ]

One of the consequences of our Lord becoming a human being was ,we are given the assurance that He knows and understands how we feel when we suffer.We are told that He was tempted in all points like we are ,yet without sin[Hebrews 4v15],because of his personal knowledge of suffer,He knows how we feel when we go to him in all our need,and pain.Last night I phoned a friend who has endured a great deal of suffering,to be told by his wife,that he has a cancer that is aggressive,the dear lady was crying. It took me back to the time when my first wife was diagnosed as having cancer and being told those self same words,it was aggressive.Because of this I understand what that meant and understood the pain she was feeling,that is one the consequences of the suffering  we experience ,we no longer are spectators,but we become fellow companions of those who suffer.We who have walked the path of suffering and experienced Gods comfort,can help others who are suffering. Going beyond the comfort we can give, we can point people to Jesus who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities,in the words of a hymn no one understands like Jesus,again as the poet puts it , with every pang that rends the heart the man of sorrows has a part/
A  prayer..../ Dear Lord Jesus you who were no stranger to suffering, we bring our pain to You,and ask for mercy and grace. Amen /

Wisdom. [ 2 Timothy 3 v15-16]

Paul Getty said the formula for success,rise early.work hard,strike oil, such is the wisdom of this world,but in the Bible we read of wisdom,and how vital it is.Solomon was granted special wisdom by God[1 Kings 4v29],and in many ways he was a very wise person, but he did not always act in the most  wise manner.God will give us wisdom but there is no guarantee,that we will act with wisdom.There are two types of wisdom, the first one is described as ,earthly,sensual,demonic,self seeking, mean spirited,this wisdom was manifest by Hitler,Stalin,and ourselves.The other wisdom is described as from above,and is pure,peaceable,gentle,willing to yield,full of mercy,and good faith, without partiality,and without hypocrisy[ James 3 v 13-17]James reminds us that all we need to acquire the wisdom from above, is simply to ask and we will receive.Consider the words of James ,which is also the word of God [1 v5-6]/ If any of you lack wisdom,let him ask of God,/so that is the first thing we should do,ask and we shall receive,next he reminds us of the generosity of God,/who gives to all liberally,and without reproach,and it shall be given him/.The one stipulation is ,for all who seek God for wisdom, /Let him ask in faith/. The Christian life starts by faith, and continues by  faith, without faith nothing will happen, but with faith many things can happen. Do you want the wisdom that is from above? well it yours for the asking.
A   prayer...../Dear God grant us the wisdom from above in Jesus name Amen /

Trust Him wholly.[ Job 13 v 15]

Let us continue on thinking about the words of Peter to the Christians who were suffering all kinds of trials[1 Peter 1 v6]. Now we may not be suffering persecution for our faith,but it does not exclude us from trials,of all different kinds,you may be in a difficult marriages,have a difficult child,a difficult job,with a difficult boss,difficult neighbours,you may be suffering from a painful ongoing illness,that you are going to die off, loneliness. These are just some of the trials we can be suffering from,they are more than 57 varieties,but no matter how many there be ,not one of Gods children are forgotten about. There is general statement that we can use to explain trials,and its this they go with the territory,the Bible speaks of those trials that are common to man.[ 1 Corinthians 10 v13].All mankind suffer from trials of one sort or another,some  may think because they have money, they are safe,but they are not.The difference between the non Christian and the Christian is,their Sovereign God is watching over them ,the hymn writer wrote,/Every joy or trial falleth from above,traced upon our  dial, by the Son of love,/but she did not stop there, she went on to write,/we may trust Him fully,all for us to do.They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true/
A  prayer...../ Dear God grant us the grace we need in all out trials,to trust You wholly,and as we do we will find You wholly true, in Jesus name Amen /

Remember them.[Hebrews 13 v3]

There is a famous brand which most of have heard of,and it is known as having 57 varieties, it reminds me of the words written by Peter,to Christians who where suffering all kinds of trials[1 Peter 1v6]. Everyday I pray for dear Christians who are being persecuted for their faith,they are being murdered,beaten up,imprisoned,discriminated against.,Here in the west,it often appears that Christians feel guilty that they are not suffering in like manner. God is sovereign ,it is not by chance, that we are living where we are,The words of Hebrews 13v3 challenges us as to our response to those who are suffering,/Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners,and those who are ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering/.Let not our fellow Christians be forgotten by us who are free from persecution, we can write to them,we can financially support them,we can be a voice for them,an organisation I know of, declares itself to be a voice for the voiceless. So today lift up your voice to almighty God for those dear Christians who are suffering for their faith.
A  prayer..../ Dear God have mercy upon those Christians who are suffering for following  for their faith,we thank You that they re not forgotten by You,in Jesus name Amen/