Called to be a preacher.[ James 3 v1]

I  ministered Gods word,It was a challenging word ,the main thing is being faithful,sometime one thinks, should I change it, preach an old sermon.I take preaching of Gods word very seriously as every preacher should,was it Spurgeon who said, keep preaching,even if you hear the archangel  blowing his horn.The Preacher is the watchman,[cp Ezekiel 3 v17 ],and if that is so we will be held accountable ,James gives a word of caution, to all would be preachers,/My brethren , let not many of you become teachers,knowing that we shall receive  a stricter judgement[James 3v1] Many people looking at the preacher,think I could do that ,in fact I want to do it,and I am going to do it.They are unaware what it means,studying,that can be hard work, indeed as someone once said it is a life time of study.Most of the prophets experienced persecution,listen to what God told Jeremiah  [1v19],/ ,they shall fight against thee, and what Ezekiel was told  /But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee,for they will not hearken unto me, for all the house of Israel  are impudent and hardhearted/[Ezekiel 3 v7 ]So consider prayerfully, if the call to be a preacher is genuine,and if it is,then obey that  noble calling.
A  prayer....../Dear God guide all who at this time feel that they are called of God to preach,in Jesus name Amen /

Does God hate this worlds ? [ John 3 v16 ]

Ah, the finishing touch,that last dab of paint when you stand back and admire what you have done,very satisfying is it not?,of course it is. In Genesis 1 we read that when God had created everything but man,God saw that it was good,He took good pleasure in what He had made.Yet it was not the finished article,no  that was about to follow,for then He created man and woman,and then we read, He saw that it was very good [1v31].Much has changed,from perfection,to imperfection,from being flawless to being flawed,In many ways this world is not a pretty picture,this planet it appears has its finger on a self destruct button.Every day God hears the cries of the afflicted,every hour He sees the injustice and inequalities that are taken place, the words of Genesis 6 v5-6  must sum things up,how God views this world even now,/And God saw that the wickedness  of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart,was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth,and it grieved Him at His heart/One would think that God must hate this world,and all it's inhabitants,just like those Islamic militants do. Not so,for we read ,/That God so loved this world ,that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life[ John 3 v16]
A  prayer..../ Dear God we praise You for Your love,in Jesus,for this world and its inhabitants, in Jesus name Amen /

The unexpected .[ Psalm 31 v15 ]

There used to be a series on TV called tales of the unexpectant, which reminds me how suddenly the unexpected can come into our lives,this happened recently to my oldest boy.The fact is ,life if full of the unexpectant,indeed the title of that old TV series could be written over all our lives. This is why it is vital for us all to grasp the truth that God is in control,that He is sovereign,I mention this often simply  because I believe that we all need to be reminded of this continually. As to the unexpectant event concerning my son the last thing I said to him was,pray about it,in other words turn to the one who is in control. In His providence He brings the unexpected,it is not all hurtful things,it includes all things,which  again reminds us of what God says about the all things,that if we are a child of God then He will work those all things for our good[ Romans 8 v28].So whatever unexpectantly comes into our lives ,it will work for our good,God will see to that.Let us remember,in the words of an old hymn,that, all our times are in His hand,all events at His command.
A  prayer....../Dear God  help us not to be panicked ,or dismayed by the unexpectant,help us to trust and to not be afraid, in Jesus name Amen/

He is in control. [ Revelation 19 v6]

At this time there is so much turmoil in the middle east,plus the situation in Ukraine, and in many other places,not to mention crime.It appears at times that this is a runaway world,so many uncertainties,our Saviour said there would be wars and rumours of wars.That's the thoughts that came to me this morning,but then I reminded myself that although I cannot fully explain it,God is Sovereign.We are told in scripture that God is working all things after the counsel of  His own will[Ephesians 1 v11],in thinking of those words I am moving from sight to faith .The natural can only focus on what it can see,but the mind of faith focuses on Him they cannot see,a sovereign God.As we read the Bible we have a record of a people who lived through tremendous upheavals,as they saw heathen nations in power,and were uprooted from kith and kin,they could easily had said that this world was out of control, evil appeared to be on the throne.Jeremiah the prophet  wrote to people who had suffered a great deal,their nation trampled under foot,they had been taken into exile.So  he wrote  what God was was saying/For I know the thoughts I think toward you,saith  the Lord,thoughts of peace,and not of evil,to give you an expected end[29v11]. These words reminded those exile that God was in control,and in spite of everything looking to the contrary,He was in control,and was working His purposes out.
A  prayer...../Dear God we lift our eyes of faith and declare that You are in control,in Jesus name Amen /

Hate evil [ Psalm 1 ]

In Psalm 97v10, we read,/Ye that love the Lord,hate evil/,recently I pointed out that in Baptism,we are declaring that we have died to our old sinful ways.Here, we who love the Lord are exhorted to hate evil, consider, that those who do not love the Lord ,love evil,the drunkard loves alcohol,the child abuser loves their perverted sex,anything goes just as long as they get the thing they love.Those who worked in concentration camps loved what they were doing, it is a sad commentary on life that so many people love evil.The extreme religious people love the evil that they are doing,even though it is obviously evil,they have a perverted mind set that believes that what they are doing is pleasing God. Why should those who love the Lord hate evil,well look on Calvary,evil put our Saviour on that cross,my evil, your evil,Gods righteous anger burns  against all evil,and so like Him we should hate evil. W. Cowper wrote,[ Let this be our prayer]
                               I hate the sins that made Thee mourn,
                                and drove Thee from my breast,
                                The dearest idol I have known,
                                 Whate'er that idol be,
                                 help me to tear it from Thy throne,
                                 And worship only Thee,
                                  In Jesus name we ask this, Amen .





                           
   

The clown [ Matthew 11 v28 ]

I  am sure you have heard the story of the man who visited a doctor feeling depressed,well the doctor said to him,I'm told there is a wonderful clown in town,he is making everybody laugh,go and see him,his name is Grimaldi,the man looked at the doctor,and said I am Grimaldi.  I thought of this story when I heard the sad news of  the death of Robin Williams,a man who entertained many ,but behind the mask of acting, joke telling was a very sad person.It  makes us realise that you cannot judge a book by its cover,or a person by their wealth and fame,it is only God who sees the heart,it is He who knows what we are really like. He sees the insecurities,the loneliness,the sense of failure,the need to be loved,that when we  are smiling we are crying inside,people hear our words,He hears our thoughts.There are so many peoples like Grimaldi,and dear Robin Williams,putting on a good open show,putting on a good front. There is a popular song that goes,bring on the clowns,are you one of those clowns?am I?, well here is the word for for us clowns,stop clowning around,and start to see that there is a God ,who loves us just as we are, a God,who can heal the broken heart,and a God who can fill the empty void in our lives,He does this through His son Jesus,who says,/Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest[Matthew 11 v28]
A  prayer..../ Dear God come and heal our brokenness,come and fill our emptiness,with Yourself through You Son Jesus Amen /

Baptism [Romans 6 v1ff ]

From the moment one became a Christian,things changed,the act of  baptism proclaims this,cp Romans 6 v1ff.My study Bible points out that that baptism was by immersion,new Christians were completely buried in water.This symbolised the death and burial of the old life,the wrong things we once did,we are dead to,if we once stole we no longer do that,if we were sexually permissive we are now dead to that,and so on. When we come up out of the water we are entering into that resurrection of new life in Christ.Some people see baptism as just a witness that they have become a Christian and it is that,but it is also a declaration that one is dead,to the old sinful ways. That is why Paul declares,how shall we, that are dead to sin,live any longer therein?,Leon Morris points out that for many baptism is seen as a comforting,and inspiring piece of ceremonial.He goes on to point out ,/that we should not let the modern associations of baptism, blind us to the point Paul is making so strongly.He is saying that it is quite impossible for anyone who understands,what baptism means to acquiesce cheerfully in a sinful life.The baptized have died to all that/
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to live that new life in Christ,a life that has nothing to do with those dead practises of this world,in Jesus name Amen/