Faith [ Hebrews 4 v7]

In Hebrews 11 we have the word faith mentioned 24 times,we are told that without faith we cannot please God,but when faith is exercised it pleases God,and will be rewarded[v6].Many people say they believe,yet will not exercise faith in God,in Christ,in His word,and the truths therein.Many say they believe and yet if one digs a little bit,one finds underneath the surface there is a heart of unbelief.In Hebrews 11 we read a long list of people who exercised faith,,stressing the fact that true faith in God is an independent activity. The history of Israel the nation was plagued by unbelief,as was seen
by rebellion, and continual trusting in other  so called strong nations.In the end the vast majority of so called Israelites were rejected because they had a spirit of unbelief in the one and only God. [ Hebrews 3 v19].True faith is not worshipping creation,as one considers the world and the universe,one may believe that a god created those things,but as Simon  J. Kistemaker writes,/ For the evangelist who wrote the Gospels,Jesus Christ is the object of faith,The purpose John wrote his Gospel was that his readers, may believe that Jesus is the Christ,the Son of God[John 20 v31]
A  prayer....../ Dear God help us see that true faith,starts with Jesus, Amen /
[I will return to my blog Monday every blessing]

What a Friend. [ John 15 v15 ]

Recently I heard an old favourite on the radio,it was the hymn,/What a friend we have in Jesus/,the words of that hymn are very reassuring,the opening words remind us that as Christians we are never friendless. Some people have many friends,others have few,some have none,but here is the good news,Jesus can be our friend.What kind of friend is Jesus?,He is a forgiving friend,in fact that is how the friendship begins,we discover that his death on the cross was for our sins,and that we could be forgiven,and go at last to heaven.As we believe in Him as our Saviour He becomes our friend,the hymn says,/What a Friend/,yes indeed what a friend,they say mans best friend is a dog,not so ,there are some dogs that would lick one to death,then there are others who would eat one alive.Jesus is man's best friend,you can tell Him all your troubles,and He will listen,and listen,and listen. He is always available,in fact He is always with us,I remember and old western where the husband rides of leaving his wife,to face the Indians,Jesus does not run away when we are in trouble,in fact He says I will be with you in trouble.He is with us in our lonely times,hard times,painful times,in our joys and in our sorrows,the Bible describes Him as a friend that sticks closer to us than a brother.
A  prayer......./Dear  God we thank and praise You for Your friendship,through Jesus Amen /
[I will return to my Blog Sat 18th.  every blessing ]

Is He pushing you? [Deuteronomy 32 v11-12 ]

In Genesis 26 Isaac is forced to move on a number of occasions,water was very important,so wells had been dug, but no sooner this happened,he was forced to move on,and dig another well.Finally after digging another well he was able to settle there, and he declares, /For now the Lord hath made room for us  [v22.].There are no second causes in the child of Gods life,so God kept pushing him along,Issac did not resist ,but just kept moving on to that place of Gods  choosing.Now of course Isaac did not want to keep moving,but in the end he did, like Isaac we don't want to move on, so often we become comfortable,we have notices on our hearts door,that read,don't disturb. But we have forgotten we are the true travelling people,we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth  [Hebrews 11v13],we are looking for a city whose builder and maker is God [Hebrews11v10].We desire a better country, that is ,a heavenly[ Hebrews11 v16],so God keeps pushing us along,and in our folly we build resentment, we only see the instrument,and not the one who is holding the instrument,our sovereign God.We may be pushed from pillar to post,but God is doing the pushing,for Isaac it was to a place of peace,for Joseph ,it was to a place of power and authority,for Abraham it was the promised land.now no one likes to be pushed,but let us all remember it is a loving push, with  a loving purpose,from your loving Heavenly Father.
A  prayer...../Dear God help us to trust You at all times to see that our times are in times are in Your hands, and that Your way is perfect,in Jesus name Amen /

A good name. [Proverbs 22v1 ]

There is a rabbinical saying,there are three crowns,/the crown of the Torah[ the law]/,the crown of the Priesthood,and the crown of kingship,but the crown of a good name excels them all./Solomon wrote,/A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,[Proverbs 22v1],another translation,ends that verse,/being held in high esteem is better than silver than gold/. In  Philippians2 v15,we read,/That ye may be blameless and harmless,the sons of God,without rebuke./,if one was being elected to office with in the church,we are told ,/blameless,having a good report of them which are without[1 Timothy 3 v7]. Charles Bridges ,wrote,/God's standards are so different than mans,it is not a popular choice/.Joseph was tempted to follow the worlds standard,but instead He choose Gods way[ Genesis 39]Just recently I read  of a very well known person ,who is stepping down from his ministry,because of a moral lapse.I love Nehemiah,for he was man of integrity,a  man who stood for His glory,At one time in my life ,word got back to me that they said I was lazy,boy that hurt,it went back to the days when  I was unemployed.Precious in all that a good name  is,  Bridges points out that it must not be purchased at the expense of conscience,and that though all men speak evil of us,let this not concern us if we have acted with a clear conscience.
A  prayer......../Dear God help us to live holy lives,loving lives, lives that you are pleased with in Jesus name. Amen/

What a day that will be.[ 1 Thessalonians 4 v 15-18]

I have just finished going through the book of Isaiah using A. Motyer's commentary.and was blessed by my time in that wonderful book.Using that commentary reminded of my time at Bible college.The lecturers would take us through the different books of the Bible,laying a foundation for us students for our future ministries.I felt very privileged to be given the opportunity to go to Bible college,and have fond memories of my time there. The college did not undermine my faith in Gods word,some colleges do,which is sad.It was an interdenominational college, the benefits of that is, it help one towards a positive attitude for all Christians,while not compromising what one held dear.There was big Wally,whose family run a farm,Bill the ex policeman,who was saved in an unexpected way,Norman who became my friend,dear Betty who served as a Deaconess for many years,Rosemary who is still serving God in South America,dear Etta who worked with  Child evangelism,and who sadly died of man cows disease. So I could go on ,these are my fond memories of the past,it reminds me that one day soon all those friends and I will be reunited again not at lecturers feet but at the feet of our risen glorified Lord ,what a day that will be for all of Gods dear children.
                         What a day its going to be when my Saviour I will see
                          When I look upon the face,of the one who saved by His Grace,
                         When He will take by the hand ,lead me to that promised land,
                           What a day what a day that will be.

If only. [ John 21 v 15-22]

A  Motyer writing on Israel ,penned these words,/If only-what might so easily have been/Isaiah had been reviewing Israels tragic past,and his conclusion was, /it could have been so different,the Lords mere presence would have sufficed to change everything[A.Motyer] The whole history of Israel is littered with failure ,to trust and obey God,the result was disaster,read the book of Judges,there we have a continual,habitual,going away from God. In Deuteronomy11v13ff Israel is promised blessings,if they would love the Lord,and remember Jesus taught ,If we love Him we should keep his commandments [John 14v15/23-24],so in one sense nothing has changed.I wonder how many churches that no longer exist,would be now thriving and growing if they had kept the commands of Jesus. It is in Matthew 23v37 we have the most tragic words spoken in the whole of the Bible,/O  Jerusalem,Jerusalem,thou that killest the prophets,and stonest them,which are sent unto thee,how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens, under her wings/Yes things could have been so different for Israel,if only,but what about us? can this be applied to our lives,sinner don't let these words ,if only, hunt you in eternity,and they will, trust Christ as your Saviour now. Backslider return to your first love,stop living with the regrets and repent and turn back to your Lord. Christian trust and obey your Lord and you will be blessed,don't live with what might have been,now is the hour to serve Him.
A prayer....../Dear Lord help us to trust and obey ,help us to not live with an, if only experience Amen /

There will always be the poor.[ Matthew 14 v 16]

My wife is a very generous person,she gave me her cold,recently I was vaccinated against ,shingles and the flu,for that I am grateful.We are very fortunate we have a good,not perfect health service.A friend was telling me about the country he used to live in,if you don't pay,or if you are not able to pay,you do not get treatment.So again I want to say how grateful I am for the health care in our country.Good health of course is important for all of us ,but not all of us are blessed with it,as not everyone is blessed materially.Now as one who lost a mother and a wife with cancer,and as one who was brought up with not to much financial blessing,I can truly say I am not bitter as regards the difficulties in life.The important thing is to trust the Lord, in the sad and difficult days,and to remember that there are always mercies to thank God for. The word of God tells us that He chooses the poor,and then it adds who are rich in faith.as heirs of the Kingdom[James 2 v5]James writes of those who despise the poor[2v6],but God doesn't,in this country there is a tendency to despise ,and judge the unemployed,we shouldn't.There will always be poor people,let us not judge them,but show compassion to them,and help them.
A  prayer....../Dear God we bring to you the poor and those who are suffering,have mercy upon such,and help us who have been blessed,by You,to bless others in Jesus name Amen./