Replacing fear. [Psalm 23]

I know a man whose wife is a back seat driver,although she sits in the front seat,he says it is becoming more and more stressful,as she suddenly at times,as it were cries out,when she perceives there is danger.It frightens him and makes his driving with his wife a very stressful experience, one wonders why his wife is acting in the way she does,possible a lack of trust in her husbands driving, he is a reasonable but would admit not to being a perfect driver. What can we do when fear begins to rule ones life?yes you possible guess what I am going to say,trust in the Lord,a simple answer,when that couple get into the car,God is with them,my friend says that he always prays before they start their journey. Yet trust in God appears to be missing from his wife's life,as they go on their journey. As Christians we should seek to place trust in God at all times,when our jobs are threatened,
  the answer to  fear is, trust in the Lord. If we read the Psalms many written by David who continually lived with the threat of death by King Saul,how did he cope?,his answer ,/I will fear no evil for Thou art with me/Psalm23 v6]
A prayer...../ Dear God help us see that the answer to fear is trust in You, in Jesus name we ask this Amen /

Ordinary things [ 1 Thessalonians 5 v16-18 ]

I wonder how many times we say thank you every day,as a habit,not really thinking about what we say?,and I wonder how many times we don't say thank you,when we should?. As I sat down to write this blog,I thanked God that I do not live in a hovel,but if I did, would I still thank God?.I thank God for His overruling even in little things,yesterday at the group that a colleague and I  run,in which  we cook those attend a meal,we discovered that I had omitted to count two people ,this was after the meal was given out,but my colleague managed to work things out, and they got their meal. I give out the afters,little fruit salads bought earlier,only to discover one of the clients had gone out for some shopping,then I looked at that one fruit salad I could have so easily given out, but didn't, so the person had their afters. These happenings are simple things ordinary things,but is this not what most of life is about,and is it not important to see Gods hand in the ordinary things?. Not only to see it but to thank Him for His help in the ordinary things like the making of a meal,in doing the shopping,in making the bed,and so on.The Word of God instructs us,/Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus  Christ. [Ephesians 5 v20]
A  prayer....../ Dear God we so often pray and praise You for the major things ,and rightly so,but help also to pray and praise You for the minor things,in Jesus name Amen /

Forward ever forward [ Hebrews 11 v 13ff.]

I wonder what you think of this saying I heard today,/With one hand the past moves us forward,and with the other hand it holds us back./ I do not know who actually said this,but there is a truth in it,that makes one think,a sense of being pulled in two directions,at the same time, and yet in another sense going nowhere.There are so many people whose past have sought to move then forward,they make new lives for themselves.Our country is full of many,new people from all over the world,the hand of the past has moved them forward,poverty,hopeless situations,violent situations,oppressive situations,pushed forward by the hand of the past There are people from strong religious backgrounds ,who have been moved forward,and yet the same hand that  has driven them forward is the same hand that holds them back. The Jewish people remind me of a people who have moved forward by the hand of the past,consider all they have suffered,and yet they are held back by the their traditions,and their failure to move into the thing they should embrace ,a relationship with their Messiah, Jesus. Much an all as I found that saying interesting, I know God wants us to move forward,into a life that is not held back, by the hand of the past,or should I say the dead hand of the past. I jokingly said to someone recently onward,onward,upward,upward.we must not be backward Christians,we must be forward ever forward  Christians.
A  prayer...../ Dear Lord help us ever to be pressing forward,to the eternal glory that awaits every Christian in Your name we ask this Amen /

His genteness. [ Isaiah 40v 11]

In that lovely Psalm in 2 Samuel 22,we have David declaring,/Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation,and thy gentleness hath made me great[v36]/. When many people think of God they do not see Him as gentle,but here David acknowledges Gods gentleness,a gentleness that profoundly altered his life and blessed him. Plummer writes the following on these words ,/Jehovah is meek and lowly,lenient,gentle, and condescending.......It is this patience, forbearance,clemency and condescending of God,that makes great and good men all that they are,otherwise they would be ruined/ Let us give God all the glory ,He has blessed us exceedingly,if we have been raised to a position of greatness,then it is because of His gentleness. A modern chorus touches on this,
                                               O Lord, You tenderness,melting all my bitterness.
                                                O Lord, I receive Your love.
                                               O  Lord, Your loveliness,changing all my ugliness,
                                                O Lord.I receive Your love,
                                                O Lord I receive Your  love,
                                                 O Lord, I receive Your love.[G K]
A prayer....../Dear God we are amazed at Your gentleness that has truly worked wonders in our lives,we ask that You would continue that process in Jesus name Amen./

Doing nothing [ Ephesians 5 v 19-20]

Hudson Taylor was the founder of the China inland mission,he was an English man,also a doctor,he lived in the 19th century,until briefly into the 20th century. He went boldly where no other missionaries had gone before,as the name China inland mission suggests.God used him to blaze a path into China,and when you read of the many Christians there are in China now,it is because of the work of that mission. Old age caught up with him,and he found this a trial ,because he was unable to work as he once did.The writer of his biography,wrote how,Hudson could just about pray,and that he felt sorely his inability to labour as he once did.Hudson said the following,/The true joy of life,was to do all for Jesus sake,sacrifice and labour were alike,sweet when it was for Him.Then he added after a pause'But it is hardest of all,to do nothing for His sake./ So many people find it hard to do nothing,old age,infirmity,disability and the like,cause them to not be able to do what they once did.We should not feel guilty if this is so,what is written of Hudson in his doing nothing,was his bright and joyous spirit,not one single complaint or murmur past his lips,he was always cheerful.
A  prayer....../ Dear God we thank You for the memory of Hudson,one who served You faithfully,help us when we can do nothing to manifest ,joy ,peace,and contentment, in Jesus name Amen/

Praise. [Psalm 150]

A dear friend of mine recently had to have an operation for an hernia,the operation was a success,later when he was recovering on the ward,a nurse who attended at the operation,came to him,and asked him what church he attended.My friend was somewhat puzzled,and he told her,and then he asked her why she wanted to know?,she said when he was coming round from the operation,he was praising and thanking God, for His goodness. My friend was not aware that he had done this, but knowing him,I am not surprised,he is a fine man of God,what he did is not so much about what church he attends,but his walk with God,and he has walked with God,and does walk with God, every day.Our praise is not restricted to our church,praise should be in our hearts,wherever we are.There is a song, which goes,/Wherever I am ,I'll praise Him,whenever I can I'll praise Him,for His love surrounds me like a sea. I'll praise the name of Jesus,lift up the name of Jesus, for the name of Jesus lifted me/[ Anon]. People praise so many worthless things,is it not but right that we should praise Him who alone is worthy of our praise.
A  prayer..../Dear God oh for a heart to praise You,You who alone are worthy of our praise,we ask this in Jesus name Amen/

Sometimes right away,sometimes not. [Nehemiah 2 v 4]

Recently I heard a dear sister testify of a prayer being answered,a reconciliation had taken place within her family,she had been praying about this for 15 years. In this society of the instant,we as Christian get sucked into its mind set,where as, if we read the scriptures we see ,that Gods ways are not always instant,far from it,oh yes God will answer quickly,in Isaiah 65 v24, we read,/And it shall come to pass,that before they call,I will answer,and while they are yet speaking,I will hear/. Yes God answers ,can be instant, but often they are not,but here is the important thing ,He does answer prayer.One of our sons lost his job recently ,but within a short time he another one,we all had prayed,God answered. Let us have confidence in God  to hear and answer our prayers.Our prayers may be answered in an instant ,or in 15 years,but we can be sure that if our prayers are according to His will He will answer. We drink a lot of tea in our country,tea comes in little bags,and you just pop the tea bag into hot boiling water,and you have an instant cup of tea,but years ago tea came loose,and one would use a tea pot,fill it water,boil the water ,then put in the loose tea.Most people left the tea pot on the heat for some time,in order to get what they felt was a proper cup of tea.the point is whiter it was instant or not,the same result,  a cup of tea.So it is with answers to prayer,we pray once  or we pray for a long time,the  result is the same,prayer is answered.
A  prayer...../ Dear God we praise You that You hear and answer prayer,sometimes right away, sometimes not,in Jesus name. Amen/