Looking unto Jesus .[Hebrews 12 v 1-3 ]

Stephen was the first martyr of the NT church,of course there had been many martyrs in the OT church.We read of Stephen in Acts7,his death sparked of a great deal of persecution, for the early church,this persecution was laid by a man called who later became a Christian.As to Stephen ,he
was arrested ,and brought before the Jewish authorities,there he preached a wonderful sermon,full of deep spiritual truths,of a people favoured by God,
and yet a people who time after time forsook God, a people who persecuted
the prophets,but it did not stop there,for when the promised Messiah came, they not only rejected Him,they had Him crucified.The more he spoke the more angry they became,It was W.Barclay who wrote, /But Stephen did not see their faces distorted with rage. His gaze had gone beyond time and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God/ when he said that they rushed upon him and took him out and stoned him to death.Those words are a
challenge to all of us who may be enduring persecution,sickness,difficulties,
even death,like Stephen we must with the eyes of faith,look to Jesus. The book of Hebrews was written to people who where struggling with so many trials,so the writer of that great book,exhorts them, to cast of every hindrance,and to look unto Jesus, who endured the cross,despising its shame,because the eternal glories which he would enter into[Hebrews 12 v 1-2],so the question is for all us,where are we looking?.
                                               A  prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus we turn our gaze to you this day,to your glory,and the glory
that awaits us, Amen.
                                               

Ugly. [Matthew 22 v37-40 ]

I read on the internet of a young girl who was voted one of the ugliest girls in her school this was shown on face book. One wonders why would people do such thing,they maybe think they are being funny,but they are not,they are being cruel.Yet it goes further than this ,they are sinning,every time we are unkind,and hurtful,in anyway we are sinning.An unkind word,and unkind look,a failing to help others in need,a putting oneself before others,To succeed at the cost of anothers well being,to trample down others  ,because we can ,to refuse to help someone in need when
we can.When we gossip and spread rumours about others,all these and more are sinful,we are told to love others,yellow black and white,poor, rich,and
whoever,the downtrodden,the refugee,the vunerable,those who are vunerable,the successful,and the failures.Love others as ourselves,to even love our enemies,to bless them that curse us,to do good to them that hate us,
and pray for them which despitefully use us,and persecute us[ Matthew 5 v44].Going back to that young girl,who was called ugly,will she sin by not loving those who have tried to hurt her?,if she doesn't then she is sinning.
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God who is love,you who loves us all,inspite of the fact that people
are your enemies,help us to love,help us to love,in Jesus name Amen.
.

What is that light? [ Psalm 23]

The days during this time of the year are dark and dreary,the trees are naked
and bare,such are the seasons.Our life is like the seasons,and while we may fly of to sun drenched places,the seasons we experience in our lives can not
be avoided.I know some Christians who are going through seasons of pain,
cancer is ravaging,their bodies,and death looms up.This applies to everyone
no amount of money,no position of power can change this,it is part of the human experience.These seasons of pain are reminders of the extent of sin
on this world.I am convinced that most people even many Christian,fail to appreciate the truly awfulness of sin.Jesus knew,he knew that the only answer,to mankind's awful condition ,was the awfulness of His death on a cross. From the awful darkness of Calvary,light eternal shone forth,hope came,that light would lighten our darkness.The dreary dark seasons of our lives,could be transformed,my son Brian,speaking on the 23rd Psalm v3,as regards walking through the valley of the shadow of death,said where there is a shadow there must be light.What is that light?,well David says,I will
fear no evil for you are with me.The you, is none other than Jesus who is the light of the world,who says to all who trust Him ,I am with you always.
                                Standing somewhere in the shadows you'll
                                find Jesus.
                                He's the only one who cares and understands,
                                Standing somewhere in the shadows you'll
                                find Jesus.
                                And you'll know Him by the nail prints in His
                                hands.

Jesus .[ Matthew 1 v 21 ]

I was at a church meeting and I was told that the former leader was called Manasseh,he came from Africa. Seemingly when Calvin was in Geneva,
all children when baptised had to have Biblical names.A father wanted his
son called Martyn,but the priest baptised him Abraham.I called one of my sons Evan,which would be alright in Wales but we lived in England,and so he suffered,from the other children,making fun of his name.I like my name,William Alexander, now of course ,names usually have a meaning.
Take the name of Jesus ,it means, the Lord saves,my study Bible says,
'Jesus came to earth to save us,because we can't save ourselves from sin and
its consequences.No matter how good we are,we can't eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Only Jesus can do that,Jesus didn't come to help people save themselves He came to be their Savior from the power and penalty of sin.' So when you hear that name mentioned remember its meaning,and what that means to you personally.
                                       A  prayer.
                             Come ,Thou long expected Jesus,
                             Born to set Thy people free.
                           From our sins and fears release us,
                              Let us find our rest in Thee.
                                   [Words by Charles Wesley ]

We know in part [ 1 Corinthians 13 v 12 ]

Alfred Delp a Christian ,was arrested by the Nazies and executed,as he was being led to be put to his death,he nudged the person who was walking with him ,and said,' in half an hour I will know more than you do'.As to this life we know a lot and yet often it appears we  know so little.We struggle with terrible things that are happening,we struggle as to God and His ways.
We stare into the grave of a loved one and are mystified,we think ,why,was that dear man murdered by the Nazies?,why was millions of Jews exterminated?,and why this and why that,the scripture reminds us then shall we know.yes half an hour after we die we shall know more that any earth born being.I fear the problem is,God is to big for us to take in,He knows all about us how we think [Psalm 94 v11],and why we act as we do. But when
it comes to God we may know Him but it is a very partial knowledge,and so it will continue.But half an hour after we die,then shall we know,more than any person still on planet earth.So until that day comes let us content ourselves and trust in Him who is all knowing,and is all kind and all loving.
                                         A prayer.
Dear God grant us grace,to trust  ,in You and in your ways in Jesus name Amen.

The greatest miracle[John 3 v16/ 36 ]

People struggle in accepting the story of Jonah,who was swallowed by a great fish,but that is not the most astounding part of story.It is in chapter 3 v5 we read ,/ So the people of Nineveh believed God/, yes to me those words have greater touch of the miraculous that Jonah's experience in being
rescued by the fish from drowning.The people of Nineveh where facing
possible annihilation, by God,so believing and repenting of their sin saved them.During His earthly ministry,Jesus performed many wonderful miracles
but the greatest of miracles that He ever performed was when He died to save,men and women from the judgement of God .Some professing Christians,are uncomfortable with the doctrine of the wrath of God,and find it hard to accept OT accounts of God judging cities like Jericho,Sodom and
Gomorrah. They find it difficult to understand God who is love doing such things,but the fact is He did.The death of Chist was a death that appeased an angry God,that is what the the word propitiation means[Romans 3v25.
1 John 2v2/4 v10/In other words the wrath that abides upon all humanity,
[John 3 v36 ],was poured out on Christ.That means the moment we trust Jesus as our Saviour,we are no longer facing the wrath of God.The salvation which God offers to all ,is the greatest miracle ever to performed by God.
When we trust Christ we are experiencing a miracle,that moves us from a place of wrath,to a place of forgiveness and safety.
                                              A  prayer.
Dear God we thank You for sending your Son to save us,from wrath to come. Amen.

A tyrant. [John 3 v16]

Nero the Roman emperor was educated by Seneca a Spanish born philosopher,and when Nero became emperor he explained to him the difference between a king that was good and a tyrant,the tyrant sows fear everywhere,while the good king is one ,/Whose care embraces all,who. while guarding here with greater vigilance,there with less,yet fosters each
and every part of the state as a portion of himself,who is inclined to the milder course even if it would profit him to punish/.  If  only Nero had followed those words ,he would be more fondly remembered.As we look back on history one can see many tyrants,or  view present leaders.
Some people  view God as a tyrant,some Christians view God in the OT ,
as cruel and vindictive,but He is not.He punishes sin wherever He finds it,and will in a coming day judge all,by Jesus,[Romans 2 v16] that does not make Him a tyrant,no it makes Him just,for sin must be punished.Consider the world is in rebellion against God,He continually pleads with humanity,
continually reminds them just how much He cares for all ,reminding us all each Christmas,of the birth of a child called Christ,born in a  manger,who
would die that we may go to heaven saved by His precious blood.
                                              A  prayer.
  Dear God have mercy upon those who live under the rule of tyrants,
and grant that multitudes of people,will come under the rule of Jesus, Amen