Walking in the light. [ 1 John 1 v 6-7 ]

In Psalm 119v11, we read,/Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee/
how important it is to store Gods word in our heart,to memorize it,to meditate upon it,if we do then we will be guided in the way of holiness.In my study Bible I read, /Gods word restricts us
from doing that which might cripple us and keep us from being our best.Gods  guidelines help us follow His path, and avoid paths that lead us to destruction/.In v15-16 the Psalmist writes  ,/I will meditate in Thy precepts,and have respect unto Thy ways.I will delight myself in Thy statues,I will not forget thy word./Here is a man who is determined to follow God according to His word,how determined are we?the Christian life is one of walking in the light of Gods word,not according to the changing fancies of society. No drunkenness,no having casual sex,no going along with the crowd,no judging, doing good works,being generous,being faithful,
forgiving, and loving.Like the Psalmist let us not forget Gods word,for if we do that, then we will forget to follow God and His ways,we will be march to the worlds drumbeat,and not to Heavens.
A  prayer....../ Dear God  help us all to walk and live according to Your word in Jesus name Amen /

Praying for others.[ James 5 v16]

After I had preached, a person spoke to me,his mother was very ill,I listened but I did not know what to say possible because I might say the wrong thing, I felt a sense of hopelessness,later I thought why did I not pray with him?.Well I did not pray with him but I have been praying for him,the Bible tells us to pray for one another,[James 5v 16].Consider the challenging words spoken by Samuel the prophet speaking to Israel,/God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you/[ 1 Samuel 12 v23]  When we pray for someone we are bringing that person and their problems to God,with a confidence that He knows whats best for that person,and how best to help them.There are many who are suffering in this world,I can help somewhat,but I am very limited in resources,but God is not. Today you may meet someone,or hear of someone who is in difficulty,pray for them,don't judge them, leave that to God,our responsibility is to pray for them.God is no respecter of persons,your prayers do not take second place to your pastor, missionary,TV evangelist,or whoever.Go with boldness unto the throne of grace,God in mercy will hear and answer according to His perfect will [Hebrews 4v16]
A  prayer.../Dear God help us to pray,and help us to see the importance of praying for others in Jesus name Amen/

I cant get no satisfaction [Psalm 17 v15]

In Proverbs 27 v6,we read, /Hell and destruction are never full,so the eyes of man are never satisfied/,the man who wrote this, knew this truth in his own life, that is Solomon.He tells us something we all know,as regards death it is never satisfied,and wont be until Christ returns [, 1 Corinthians 15 v 54-57] and then  death will die,as the poet has said.From  death he goes on to mention, so the eyes of man are never satisfied, it is sad but true, Charles Bridges, writing on this,declares,/Man is always seeking for what he can never find,satisfaction in earthly things/. Earthly things cannot satisfy the deepest longings of the soul,the Rolling  Stones sung a song ,called,I cant get no satisfaction. Jesus often reminded people that  only He could satisfy humanities needs,only in Him is there true satisfaction. In John 4 He spoke to a women who came to draw water from a well,and this is what He said ,/But whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ,but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life/  Consider, are all the nice goodies that you have,really satisfying the deepest need of your heart?,of course not, only Jesus can do that.
A  prayer....../ Dear Lord open our eyes to where true satisfaction is to be found,not in earthly things but in You. Amen /

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 /