Disobedience is serious. ( Numbers 20 v 12 )

Yesterday we considered how Adam and Eve by their disobedience lost paradise,Alec Motyer writes ''Their disobedience lost the garden for themselves and their human posterity,and lost the manifold  perfections of the garden for the whole of creation. Disobedience is as serious as that. Moses'  obedience  brought Israel out of Egypt, as we might say, against all the odds and in the face of the then world's superpower; his disobedience lost him the promised land. The terms in which this  is expressed are telling; disobedience as Numbers 20 v 12/ 27 v 14 reveal, rebels against the divine word, deserts the life of faith, scorns the holiness of the Lord and provokes His anger. ( Deut 1 v 27 ) The Lord sometimes gives a signal demonstration of how He feels and reacts to disobedience, the plagues in Egypt the great flood in Genesis ,(  9 )the destruction of Sodom ( Gen 19 )  the striking down of Ananias and Sapphira  ( Acts 5 ) are all examples of the fact that the Lord sometimes gives a signal  demonstration of how He feels and reacts All these reveal His love of obedience and His revulsion of disobedience''.
                                              To obey God is always,always best.

Faith and conflict. ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 10 )

Alec Motyer is writing  about Exodus  about a people who had suffered under the Pharaoh's , when he came to them, he tells them that God is going to deliver them from the slavery of Egypt. They reacted favourable to what they heard, but when Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh requesting that he let Israel go,he acts unfavourably,refuses and punishes Israel ,they turned on Moses ( Ex 5 ) from faith to despair. A/M equates this to what our Saviour taught in Mark 4 v 16-17 .There we are told about those who heard Gods word, received it with joy, and turned away because of trouble and persecution .A/M says the following , ''There is no such thing as untested faith'', he goes on to say, ''When the word of God arrives in our hearts and lives, testings and trials comes to us as God's appointed way for His children to grow spiritually , and to come into the arena of Christlikeness . Even our poor understanding of such things can see that this must be so''.We will leave it there and look at it some more next time, but consider the following scriptures.  (  1  Thess 2  v 13- 14/ 1 Peter 4 v 12 - 13/ 2 v20 - 25/ James 1 v 2 - 4/ 1 Peter 1 v 6 7/ Job 23 v 10)

Helps to understanding Gods word. ( Colossians 1 v 9 )

At the moment I am studying the book of Exodus with the aid of  Alec Motyer's  book from the Bible speaks to day series, I am finding it very profitable.I have a thirst to understand Gods word , I have read the Bible  through many times in different translations, preached from it many times,been to Bible college,but I know that in a sense I have only scratched the surface of Gods word. I am seventy three but I still want to have a greater understanding of Gods. I have commentaries on all the books  of the Bible ,they have served me well,but the Bible speaks today has been a great help, the authors of this series of books, have worked hard to help those who  want to understand the scripture. They are  not expensive can be purchased on Amazon at a very reasonable price,the reason I am telling you this ,is because I believe they will help you grow in your understanding of Gods word.  My next message will be on a passage by A/M  from Exodus called faith and conflict.

I am convinced ( Romans 8 v 38 - 39 )

             As I was out on  may daily constitution a little children's chorus came into my mind.
             that blessed me,it goes.
                                               
                                               Wide, wide as the ocean,
                                               High as the heavens above,
                                               Deep, deep as the deepest sea,
                                               Is my Saviours love.
                                               Though so unworthy,
                                               Still  I'm  a child of His love,
                                               For His word teaches me,
                                               That His love reaches me
                                               Everywhere.

            As I continued to walk I began thanking God for being with me all the time,but then I
            took it a stage further,when He will take me to be with Him.

                                                 I am with you always  ( Matthew 28 v 20 )

                                                 And so we will be with the Lord forever.  ( 1 Thessalonians 4 v 17 )

Problems. ( Matthew 6 v 25 - 34 )

I am having problems with my computer, when  I print my blog,and then publish it,it appears distorted my son had a look at it and has pointed out the problem,if not I will take it to an expert,so bear with me.Problems come in many shapes and sizes, some ,you can sort out,others you cant,but whatever problem you are faced with,take it to the Lord in prayer. Pray about everything,ask the Lord to help you and guide ,He will not fail you,He is bigger than our problems,with Him all things are possible

                                                 God is the great problem solver

God gives the best. ( 1 Peter 5 v 7 )

    Not so long ago I read an article  by the present Archbishop's daughter,who suffers from
    ongoing mental illness. There are degrees of mental illness , I worked with a mental health
    team for 23 yrs, I loved my job, but often I felt so sad, as I cared for my clients, for most of
    them suffered from long term and enduring mental illness. That means they did not get better they could not work,some coped better than others,most were nice people,not all, but of course hat reflects life for all of us. Mental illness is what it says on the tin, an illness, many people
    don't understand this,  a lady sayed about someone who told her to pull herself together,
    she replied,'' I am not a pair of curtains.''. No she was not a pair of curtain, she was mentally ill.Years ago when talking to someone about mental illness which he did not appear to approve
    of  the medical treatment they received, said there must be some better way. Well there might be,,the Archbishop's  daughter mentioned the difficulties of those who want to pray with for
    healing,as often it just builds up her hopes, and effects her when nothing happens. People
    mean well and I believe God does heal in His will.,that goes for all things. We know without
    a shadow of a doubt ,that with God all things  are possible, but for many people, healing does
    take place. My dear niece wrote the following in a letter to me,I will share it with you.
 
    ''God gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him, and leave the choice  with Him.
     When I can't see through my dark times, I reach out, and He is always there to catch my
      hand''
                                                       My times are in Thy hand;
                                                       My God, I wish them there;
                                                       My life, my friends ,my soul I leave
                                                       Entirely to Thy care.

                                                       My times are in Thy hand,
                                                       Whatever they may be;
                                                       Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
                                                       As best may seem to Thee.

                                                      My times are in Thy hand,
                                                      Why should I doubt or fear?
                                                       A  Father's hand will never cause,
                                                       His child a needless tear.

                                                       My times are in Thy hand.
                                                       Jesus the Crucified;
                                                       The hand my cruel sins have pierced
                                                       Is now my guard and  guide.

                                                                (H. F, Lyte)

                                               
     

 
 

Not wasted time. ( John 6 v 12 )

I read this recently , ''God is not in our kind of hurry, this does not indicate any delaying or dithering on Gods part''.There are many reasons why God does not act, or move,we read that Moses at the age of forty ,thought that he was going to rescue Gods people.  (Acts 7 v 25 ) He was right but he had to wait another forty years before this took place. why? well it was not Gods time.But the waiting time was not wasted time,this prince of Egypt had to learn what it meant ,to not be a prince. Alec Motyer writes ,''Did he know that the hand of God was secretly shaping his destiny ? If he did, he does not tell us so, but he certainly had to learn the lesson of being faithful in the ordinary humdrum routine everyday life''.He took on the role of a shepherd,and when it came Gods time, he left of shepherding sheep to shepherding a nation.

                                                            A  prayer.
                      Dear God we ask for patience as you prepare us for the tasks you
                      will entrust us to do, in Jesus name Amen.