Until then [ John 14 v1-6]

I have thought often about heaven,what it will be like? we  know,no sin ,no sickness,no separation,will be there ,in other words no discord,complete unity. It will mean being in the very presence of almighty God,He who is holy ,the vail of time will be removed,and for the very first time
we will stand in His awesome presence,it is a breath taking thought.There we will enter the realm of eternity,time will have ceased,we sing ,when we've been there ten thousand years,yea ten billion years,we will have entered that place and that relationship,that will have no ending.There will be rewards what those rewards will be I do not know,and in a sense there is so much that I do not know. Rick Warren writes,/What is it going to be like in eternity with God? Frankly , the capacity of our brains cannot handle the wonder and greatness of heaven,and then he quotes 1 Corinthians 2v9[LB] /No mere man has ever seen,heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord/. This is so true ,at this stage in our lives,in the words in a modern song,I can only imagine,what heaven will be like,so until then I walk by faith,until faith will give way to sight,what a day that will be.Child of God rejoice that you are going to heaven,and be grateful and thankful to Him who made it all possible, even Jesus.
A prayer...../ Our Father who art in heaven,we praise You,for saving us,and granting unto us an eternal inheritance, with You in that land that is fairer  than day,
in Jesus name Amen /

The word of God [ Psalm 119 v 97-104]

How do you view Gods word?, the book of Isaiah is a wonderful book,there are those who believe it was written by a number of writers,because they cannot accept that what is called  predictive prophecy .Many of the things Isaiah wrote,had not taken place, the captivity,he writes about Cyrus[45 v1] the king of the Medes and the Persians,who allowed the Jews to return from captivity,these where all future events,that would take place long after Isaiah had died. Of course Isaiah prophesied about the suffering servant,not Israel,but a person who would deal with sin,God granted him a wonderful revelation as to His birth,His divinity  ,and His eternal kingdom,[ 9v 6-7 ].It is in Isaiah we read more than anywhere else of the suffering servant, and His redemptive work on Calvary,in chapter 53, we have a graphic description of His redemptive suffering.This is all predictive prophecy, we must surrender our rational thinking,and humble accept Gods divine revelation.I heard a chap on the radio say how he rejected the Bible for the writings of a particular authors writings,when we do this we are shutting ourselves of from Gods revelation,and the consequences of that. We are asked as Christians to embrace Gods word,predictive prophecy,miracles,Christ the God man,His death and resurrection,
A  prayer...../Dear God we thank You for Your infallible word, in all its fullness,we embrace it wholly by faith,in Jesus name Amen /

Are you scared? [Psalm46 ]

The world can be a very scary place,life is uncertain,the only thing certain we are told is death and taxes,but not so for the child of God. We are in a win,win situation,simply because God is with us,now that does not mean we wont experience difficulties,dangers ,or whatever,but it does mean that God will be with us to work it for our good[Romans8v28] Read Psalm 46 and meditate upon it,David commences,/God is our refuge and strength,a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed,consider those words,the earth being removed,and then he says,though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.Though the waters thereof and be troubled,though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.Then in my version it has the word Selah, which means pause and consider,stop and consider what you are reading,moving on v7 reads,/The Lord of hosts is with us,the God of Jacob is our refuge,then again that word Selah pops up,pause and consider those words.We move down to v10. Be still and know that I am God,are you frightened today,be still God is with you,are you lonely today,be still God is with you,are you in danger today ,be still God is with you,the Lord of hosts is with you,the God of Jacob is your refuge.
A  prayer....../Dear God fill our hearts with your peace,help us frail children that we are,to be still and know that Thou art God,and that You will undertake for us no matter how scary things are,we ask this in Jesus name Amen/

God personal or inpersonal ? [ Romans 8 v 15]

I was listening to a discussion on the radio about the Islamic State movement, as to what they believed,and it sounded as if the god they worship is unknowable.It means they believe in a god,who is really distant,seemingly the gods of Greece,where thought of, in a similar manner.The Christian faith is one of knowing God,but not only knowing about Him,but of knowing Him in the most intimate way.It is R.C. . Sproul  who points out that Jesus gave us the incomparable privilege of calling God Father, when He taught his disciples to pray, He used the term our Father [ Matthew6 v9],the word he used was the Aramaic word Abba,best translated Dad,or Papa.Now again as R.C. Sproul points out,/the cry of alarm from the disciples would have been one of astonishment.You don't mean it Jesus,You can't be serious. We are not allowed to speak the name of God aloud.We don't even call Him Father,much less Dad/God is mighty,majestic, and all powerful,and yet as W.Barclay wrote/He is the one whom Jesus taught us to call Our Father/Not only did Jesus teach us that God is our Father,He through His death made it possible,for us to come into a very personal relationship with almighty God,who is our loving heavenly Father.
A  prayer...../ Dear God  and Father,we worship you with a holy reverence,and also with a holy Joy,
for our very personal relationship with You,in Jesus name Amen/

The Kingdom of God. [ Matthew 6 v10]

As one looks back on history we see mighty kingdoms that are no longer,empires that have ceased to be,there is no longer a Roman empire,the third Reich, thankfully is gone,there is no longer a British empire.Even our beloved united kingdom is under threat,as Scotland vote on independence.None of this should surprise us,kingdoms will not only wax and wane,but will cease to be,but there is one kingdom that shall not cease to be,will not be relegated to dusty history books.The kingdom I speak of is the kingdom of God,it is an everlasting kingdom,it shall not pass away,cannot be destroyed.[Daniel7 v14] As we survey the kingdoms of this world,with their massive arsenals of destructive weapons,of their mighty armies,of their financial clout,there is no guarantee that they will last.They are all without exception temporary kingdoms,and it can be said of them here today gone tomorrow.Dear child of God let not your heart be troubled as to the ranting and raving,and pride of earthly rulers,and their supposed invincibility. They remind me of what our Lord taught as to the foolish man who built upon the sand,the building collapsed,their kingdoms are built upon sand,.Consider what Jesus said,My Kingdom is not of this world,[ John 18 v36],but His kingdom will come,He is king of kings and Lord of Lords,and one day maybe soon ,every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue confess that He is Lord.
A  prayer...../ Dear God we worship You,and pray that Your Kingdom may come,in all its fullness,in peoples lives,in Jesus name Amen./

Father forgive. [ 2 Chronicles 7 v14 ]

I want to share this prayer which I read at the foot of that wooden cross in Coventry.
 The hatred which divides nation from nation,race from race,class from class.
                                    Father forgive.
 The covetous desires of people and nations,to possess what is not their own.
                                      Father forgive.
The greed that exploits the work of human hands,and lays waste the earth.
                                    Father forgive.
 Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others.
                                     Father Forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee.
                                      Father forgive.
 The lust  which dishonours the bodies of men,women,and children.
                                      Father, forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God.
                                    Father forgive.
                           ........................................... 


    

Disappointed with self. [ Romans 8 v1]

So often there is a distance between what I think and what I believe,especially when it comes to my belief as regards the sovereignty of God. I feel at times a sense of frustration when things appear to be against me,my desire to preach is limited,doors are not opening.I hear that faint voice reminding me that God is sovereign,that should quieten my spirit but, it doesn't,one still frets and feels frustration.Also the distance between ones beliefs and ones life involves other things,holiness,love,one knows about these things,but so often what one is , and what one should be ,does not line up.It is not that one neglects prayer or Gods word,or attending a local fellowship, oh yes I do that,but there is still that distance between ,what I am and what I should be.So what can one do?well the fact of the matter is,we all have our inconsistencies,I don't say that lightly,they grieve me,I am never disappointed with God but I am disappointed with myself.So what can I learn from this?,well I am saved by grace,not just in the past but in the here and now,that God still loves this naughty child,and by His grace He will perfect that which concerns me.
A  prayer....../Dear God, we thank you that You love us naughty children,grant us grace to stop being naughty,in Jesus name Amen /