Hard toil.[ 2Timothy 2 v15] AV.

Dick Lucas in his book on Colossians,writes of those who were causing trouble in the church,of their dissatisfaction with scriptural patterns. ''He writes how as Christians we can begin to rebel against the hardness of the way.questioning the toil involved in Christian service,is there no better way
by which God would do His work among us?'' When C.T.Studd went to Africa,he prayed for the gift of tongues,so he would not have to learn the language.We all want short cuts,but it is not to be,in Psalm 81 v10,we read,
''open wide your mouth and I will fill it''. Good says someone, I don't have to prepare for my preaching engagements,not so the Word of God instructs us to study[2 Timothy 2 v15],which demands effort,and causes us to be weary.[Ecclesiastes 12 v12].While there are times I have had to preach without study,the general rule must be a giving oneself to study.A young man boasted how he rarely prepared for what he was going to preach,and an older wise brother who heard him preach,replied,'yes I thought so'.
                                         A prayer.
Dear God ,grant us grace to do what you call us to do,even though it will usually mean effort,in Jesus Name Amen.

He giveth [ 2 Corinthians 12 v 7-10 ]

Annie Flint was born in dear old USA,at the age of six she lost both her parents,and was adopted by a childless couple.In her teens she suffered from severe arthritis's,she aspired to be a composer,and concert pianist,but was prevented from this by ill health.She went on to write over a hundred hymns,her hand became so arthritic she used her knuckles to type out the words and music.One of her most popular hymns was,''He giveth more grace'',based on James 4 v6,it is a lovely hymn.The story is told how a person sent a lady sent a record to a missionary with this hymn on it.Now in case you may not know the old records could easily get scratched,and so the needle would often stick ,and keep repeating itself.Now the missionary began to listen to this lovely hymn,the needle stuck on the words,''He giveth more grace'',repeating and repeating these words.This missionary was struggling,and these words spoke to her ,in her exhaustion they spoke to her heart,and blessed her,and enable her by Gods grace to carry on.
                                
                       He giveth more grace when the burdens grow
                       greater,
                       He sendeth more strength when the labours
                       increase.
                       To addeth affliction He addeth His mercy,
                       To multiplied trials, His multipled peace.

The great fire. [john 3 v16]

In 1666 on  Sunday,2nd September the great fire of London broke out,it started in Pudding lane, in a bakery,the first victim of the fire was the maid,who was so afraid to move,with those who did escape.Many places have been destroyed by fire the most famous was that of Sodom and Gomorrah[Genesis 19]. The wickedness of these cities was so great that God choose to destroy them, there are a number of sad things we can highlight in this event.[1]The judgement itself,need not have been if only they like Nineveh had repented ,turned from their sin,and turned to God,it did not happen,and so they perished.There were those who were personally warned,but they treated the warning as a joke,the saddest case of someone who should have saved was a lady who disobeyed God by looking back.Only three people escaped the fire Lot and his two daughters,It is in 2 Peter 3,we are told of a day when the whole universe will be destroyed by fire.there will be many who will be saved,those who take judgement as a joke,which is seen by the cartoon of a poor wee man holding up a board with the words ,''The end is nigh'',will discover that the joke will be on them. Gods judging is not a matter of earthly ethics,but the wrath of a Holy God,who is just.[2]Disobedience is a very serious thing,we disobey God at a cost.[3] Three people were saved because they obeyed,God is merciful He would desire that all would be saved,and has provided a way,in which that can happen.John 3 v16,reads,''That God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
                                          A  prayer.
Dear God we pray for the lost,in your mercy save,in Jesus name Amen.

All of them [Galations 5 v22-23 ]

I read these words the following,''The incorruptible beauty of  a gentle and quite spirit.[1 Peter 3v4]''.There is so much noise in the world,there is a saying that goes about those shout the most get heard .Yet this is contrary
to those words from 1Peter,the world is full of brawlers and shouters,often unfortunate I am one of them.Our Saviour is known as the lamb of God,so many of us our Rottweiler's,Think of how much violence is perpetrated every day,the physical violence,but also the violence that comes from the
tongue.That is why those words from 1 Peter challenge me,for I long that
such a spirit would be mine.And yet let us broaden it out to what we read
in Galations,the fruit of the Spirit,''Love ,joy,peace,patience,kindness,
goodness,faithfulness,gentleness and self-control[[Galations 5 v22-23].
Someone was asked which of the fruit of the Spirit they would like,they replied,''all of them''.
                                         A Prayer.
Dear Lord you said people would be know by their fruits,dear Saviour
grant to us all , a greater longing for a life that truly glorifies You.Amen.

Hope. [ 1 Corinthians 15 v19- 22]

In Colossians 1v27,  we read these profound words,''Christ in you the hope of glory''. Dick Lucas,writes the following,''The greatest gift of Christ in the present is hope for the future. Since Christ is in heaven our hopes are inevitably cantered there.For this life ,grace is sufficient,Glory[Paul'second blessing]belonged to the age to come''The fact is if we do not  know Christ as Saviour we do not have hope,and if we no have hope we are left with what?so it does us well to think about eternal things,The hope the Christian has, is a sure and certain hope,for it is a hope built upon Christ the solid rock.The old hymn tells us all other hope is but sinking sands,it relates to those things that are temporal.The rich flaunt their riches,but the fact is,they may loose them,and they most diffidently will  leave them.Everything relating to this life cannot be perminate.will not last,no amount of wishing,
can alter that fact. Things die, plants,planets,and us,but there is one who came who died,but defeated death when He rose from the dead, He looked upon death ,which the Bible depicts as an enemy,and He said I will defeat that enemy and He did,his name is Jesus,the only true hope for mankind.

                          Abide with me,fast falls the eventide;
                          The darkness deepens;Lord wth me abide;
                          When other helpers fail,and comforts flee,
                           Help of the helpless ,O abide with me.

                           I fear no foe,with Thee at hand to bless;
                           I'II have no weight,and tears no bitterness;
                           Where is death's sting,? where grave ,thy victory?
                           I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

                            Keep Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes,
                            Shine through the gloom,and point me to the skies;
                            Heaven's morning breaks,and earth's vain shadows flee
                            In life ,in death,O Lord ,abide with me.
                                          [Words by H.F.Lyte]

Unil then. [ Revelation 21 v1-4 ]

There is a Christian song that has been on my mind ,and so I want to leave it
with you,it was written by Stuart Hemblen,its called,
                                               Until Then.

                             My heart can sing,when I pause to remember,
                            That a heart-ache down here is just a stepping stone.
                            Along life's trail that's winding ever upward.
                            This troubled old world,its not my final home,
                            But until then, my heart,will go singing,
                            Until then with joy,I'll carry on,
                            Until that day when my eyes,behold that city,
                             Until the day when God calls me  home.


                             And the things of earth,will dim,they'll lose their value,
                             When we re-call they're borrowed for a while,
                             And the things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
                             remembered there,will only bring a smile.
                             So until then, my heart,will go on singing.
                             Until then with joy I'll carry on,
                             Until that day when my eyes,behold that city,
                             Until the day when God calls me home.

                       [ I will return to my Blog Monday, every blessing]
                       

Maintain [Colossians 3 v1-4 ]

Dick Lucas writes,''The chief business of the Christian is to maintain his relationship with Christ .When this is  unsatisfactory ,the other relationships of life cannot succeed'' He goes on to say ''The Christian is,simply ,a man who has been granted a relationship with the exalted Christ at Gods right
hand.The relationship he is vigorously to pursue and develop by seeking the things above[Colossians 3 v1]''.While I believe in the sovereignty I must never forget that this never rules out my being responsible in all things,
especially in my maintaining an ongoing relationship with my God.
Contrary to what they say we must be heavenly minded,and heavenly focused.No relationship will last if we neglect it,be it marriage,or as a parent,neglect kills.I have 13 grandchildren,5 sons and their wives,we
remember their birthdays,and send them a card with a gift in it.In this simple act I am maintaining to some extent my relationship with my family.
So how are you maintaining your relationship with God?.
                                   
                         Take time to be holy,speak
                          oft with thy Lord.
                         Abide in Him always,and feed on
                         His word;
                         Make friends of Gods children,
                         help those who are weak;
                         Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
                               [Words by W.D, Longstaff.]