The glory has departed. [ 1 Samuel 4 v21 ]

Before and during certain sporting events certain songs are sung,some football teams can be identified by songs they sing.West Ham's sing 'Im forever blowing bubbles,and that great Liverpool sing, 'You'll never walk alone.When Wales play Rugby often the Welsh who are noted for their male voice choirs, sing that wonderful old hymn,'Guide me ,O Thou great Jehovah'.It is wonderful to hear it sung,and yet it is unfortunately only a tradition,and has no bearing on the Welsh nation now.The spiritual decline in Wales is very sad,as it is in the whole of the United kingdom.Hymns sung at sporting events are reminders of past spiritual glories,alas the glory has sadly departed.There are many reasons, what ever the reasons so the decline goes on,more and more.Whatever the reasons the reality is this ,the church that remains must  not compromise as regards truth,they must continue to walk in holiness,to love God and others with a Christ like love,The church must walk and live in unity,be open to the Spirits leading,and be obedient in all things to their Lord,and never forget they are called to be witnesses .What applies to the church applies to us as individual,may it not be said of any of us ,you did run well,what did hinder you.
                                         A  prayer.
Dear God  have mercy upon those nations that have gone back spiritually,be pleased in your great mercy to visit such, in Jesus name Amen.

I have a dream. [ Revelation 21 ]

Do you know that there is one Ireland,and yet there are two Ireland's,one is called Eire and the other Ulster.Most people have heard of the conflict that
the people of Ireland have suffered in the 20th century,to some extent it continues.There are those who want with all their heart that there was just one Ireland,this was borne out  just recently,when the two Ireland's ,won important football matches.A man who wants one Ireland spoke of there being one world beater united team.That's his dream, but it goes further than football, Dr . Martin Luther King had a dream of freedom,but surely slavery
finished,at the time of the American civil war.Not so, racism continued and I am sure still does,we have it in sport,we have in it many countries,we had in Germany,Japan,we have it in India, we have it in Islam the way women are treated .Will this world never change?well a little,but not really,until that day in which Jesus will return,I am not passing judgement,only observations,but one day ,yes one day He will pass the perfect judgement,and bring in, an eternity of perfect harmony,where there will be no strange fruit hanging on tree's.
                                     A  prayer.
           Even so come Lord Jesus Amen.

Battling on. [ 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-19 ]

Recently a Christian spoke of her struggle with the fact that she still is prone to yield to temptation,why this sinful tendency still persisted?. She wondered why ,seeing we have Spirit of God dwelling.why that should be?.
There are people who foolishly think that we can reach a place of sinless
perfection,in spite of all we read in the Bible that stresses the fact that as long as we are in this body of flesh we will be tempted.[CP.  Romans 7./I John 1 v 8.Enough said, the Christian life is on going,till the day God takes us home we will have to contend with the world ,the flesh,and the Devil,and the fact is we will not always win. But we need not despair,there is victory in Jesus ,and when we sin ,there is forgiveness.[1 John 1 v 9].In Galations 5v16 ff,the apostle Paul writes how there is a constant battle going on,and
the importance of relying on Gods Spirit to gave us the victory.This why each day we need to be filled with the Spirit,if we surrendered to the Spirit,then we will not be overcome. Yes it is an ongoing battle that is why
the Apostle tells us not to be weary in doing good[Galations 6 v9],and our Saviour exhorts us to keep praying and not give up. [Luke 18 v1 ]
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God help us to rely upon Your Spirit every hour of every day,in Jesus name Amen.
  [I will return to my blog on Tuesday 20th.  Every blessing]

Offensive religion [Micah 6 v 8]

As we face life with all its challenges the thing we need is,what would you say we need?,what do need we today.?We read in Micah 6 v 8,/He has showed you ,O man,what is good.And what does the Lord require of you?. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God/.One commentator writes,/This verse is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and all embracing statements in the Old Testaments/.Micah is responding to Israel's condition ,it was the opposite of 6v8, [CP Chapter 7]In 6v7, Micah asks the question ,does God want us to be more religious,and the answer is no, religion that is devoid of ,justice[Doing that which is right],Mercy [Kindness] ,and humility,is an affront to God. When our Saviour was arrested they brought Him to Pilate,but they would  not enter Pilate's house, to enter a Gentiles home would have meant defilement ,
would have barred them from participation in the Passover celebrations.
[John 18 v28]Yet at the same time they were participating in the murder of Jesus.such religion is an offence to God.
                                              A  prayer.
Dear God and Father,help us to act justly,to love mercy,and to walk humbly
before You,in Jesus name Amen.

Faith [ Hebrews 11 v 5-6 ]

One of my great hero's was Hudson Taylor,he was an English man,and he went to China as missionary,he was also a doctor. In China he went were no
missionary had gone before,inland China,eventually he formed what was known as the China inland mission.What we must be careful not to do is to idolise Hudson,or to romanticise missionary work,that goes for any Christian ministry .Hudson was a godly man,and a man of faith,now when we say that,that meant he had real difficulties,real testings,that's one of the reasons we need to be people of faith,all of us.What difficulties are you and I are facing ?,a shortage of money.needing a job, needing a car,a sickness,
persecution. The very nature of life on planet earth brings its problems,we must apply faith into our situations. Our Saviour said to a lady,as regards what He could do,/Believest thou this?[John 11 v26].The reason I mention Hudson was,I read something he said,/I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God; first ,it is impossible,then it is difficult, then it is done./.Whither it is a great work or a small work,the foundation is the glory of God,worked out ,and manifested by a life of faith.
                                  A prayer.
Dear God we are told that without faith it is impossible to please you,so please help us to live a life of faith,for your Glory in Jesus name Amen.

A show trial [ Romans 11 v33-36]

During the reigns of the dictators,such as Stalin and Hitler,people would be put on trial for alleged offences,but they were but show trials, judgement had already been passed,before they came to trial. So it was when our Saviour was arrested and tried ,it was but a show trial,the religious leaders
had already planned to kill Him [ John 11 v45 -53]. The religious leaders acted with the wisdom of the world,they saw in Jesus a threat ,to their nation and to their teaching,even though Jesus manifested wonderful power,
 that did not matter.Jesus was seen as threat from the moment he was born,
by Herod,His very presence was a threat,and when He commenced His ministry ,His words became a threat,for it challenged so much that was wrong,He who is the light of the world,exposed the darkness in that religious society. So on the night He was put on trial ,these religious leaders
were determined to do one thing ,kill, or should we not say murder Him.So
consider the scene, Jesus the prisoner ,the falseness of this show trial,so wrong so unjust,why ?.Should we pity Him,yes we may but we can above all else praise Him,He knew before hand what awaited Him [Matthew 16v21],again,why?,the reason He suffered was that we would not suffer.So
onward He marched towards His destiny,the cross,that our destiny would be heaven and not Hell.
                                    A  prayer.
Dear Lord we worship You,and praise You for your courage ,obedience,
and love,Amen.
,

We are family. [ Matthew 25 v 31 ff ]

I was thinking back on those who have had an influence on me in coming to Christ and in my walk with Christ.Sunday school teachers,children speakers
and so many more.The list is very long,even those who ministered in song, those who offered me their friendship,those who wrote Christian books.
Those who financially supported me when at Bible college and at other times, those who have prayed for me and those who still do.For all these and others I raise a prayer of thanksgiven,what would I have done without
them?,I do not know ,but as I say I am grateful for them.In Galations 6v2
we read ,bear ye one another burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.We need each other as Christians, our support of a fellow Christians,is vital
God wants us to care for one another.Some of the last words that Jesus said was to love one another,in our  churches there are those who are lonely,
those who need financial help ,those who need encouragement,there are
those who are serving God ,they need our support and prayers.In helping in whatever way we can, we are identifying with our Christian family,and in doing so we are fulfilling the law of Christ ,which is love.
                                    A prayer.
Dear God forgive us for our lack of love,help us to love one another in word and in deed , in Jesus name we ask this Amen.