Valentines day. ( Psalm 2 2 )

It was Valentines day on the 14th ,I do not always remember, you have guessed,to get my dear wife a card,but I did get one on the day, and I put  the following words on it.I may not always remember certain days,but I will always remember that I love you.It is sad when love is forgotten, when we  move on, with a new wife/husband,and the children are left behind, so sad.The vast majority of people in this world  do not care to remember the one who loves them most of all.Who is that ? the answer is very simple,  God,let me refresh your memory,for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3 v 16 )..He gave that is His love gift ,but what did He give Him to?,to die on that cruel cross,because of our sin,God can do no more,for on that cross, we see a  lonely figure,battered ,beaten,betrayed,and that's not all, it is what we do not see,for we read,that it was the will of the Lord to crush Him, ( Isa 53 v 10 ) .That's the part we cannot see,no one will ever comprehend the depth of that suffering,for sin was being dealt with, Jesus was taking the punishment for our sin.I awoke the other morning with the words from an old gospel song on my mind ,hear are the words.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             How can you refuse Him now?                                                                                                                 How can you refuse Him now?                                                                                                                 How can you turn away from His side?                                                                                                     With tears in His eyes, on the cross                                                                                                            there He died,                                                                                                                                            How can you refuse Jesus now?.                                                                                                                   ( Words by Holly Williams  )

Holiness constantly refreshed. ( 1 John 1 v 9 )

When the priest served in the tabernacle, before they could carry out their priestly duties it was required of them to wash their hands and feet with the water from the bronze basin provided.When they were consecrated to the priesthood, they had to make a sacrifice ,plus their whole body was washed, this was never repeated. (  Ex 29 v 10 - 25 ). A. Motyer comments ,''But on a daily basis the water in the basin provided for the cleansing of any defilement contracted by the priests. The situation is exactly as in John 13 v 10 -  there is the bath, there is the wash- hand basin.  And our mothers were right when they called us to the family table, not with' Have you had a bath?, but 'Have you washed your hands?. Yes we have been forgiven, when we came to Christ, but we still become defiled and so we have the need of  a daily cleansing . The   Corinthian church were warned as regards the need of  this ( 1 Cor . 11 v 29 - 30 ) As AM writes, ''The Lord invites and allows us to come freely; but we  have no permission to come carelessly or casually''.                                                                                                                                      ( The title is from. Alec Motyers book )                                                                                                                                             

Why am I here. ( Psalm 48 v 14 )

I was watching a nice old movie, when I heard one of actors say, ''The good Lord Himself has put him there''.  I had been thinking of my earlier years when my wife and I applied for missionary work, and it did not happen, it was all very disappointing, but eventually we ended up in darkest England. Sometimes I think of those days of trying to go ,to the so called mission field and wonder. I wonder what  am I doing in the town of Grays in England?. Yet those words spoke to me, I am here because God put me here , you  may think like me ,what may have been, in your life, if, why does it appear you missed your calling,or so you think. Like me you were willing to go anywhere God would send you,like me you may have gone to Bible college to train for the mission field,but it did not happen. We can broaden it out to different goals,be it whatever,and may not have worked out like you thought,and you wonder why. I mention the sovereignty of  God a lot,for early on in my Christian faith , I have never faltered in my belief ,that God rules and over rules in all the affairs of my life,and so here I am in town that most of you have never heard about, why?, simply because,'the good Lord Himself has put me here'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ''Yes the Lord is good''

I shall not die until. ( Psalm 30 v 3 )

It was John Bunyan who wrote,  '' Following Jesus means having the wind in your face'', It appears to me that he had the wind in his face, a great deal. In case you do not know who he was,I will tell you a little bit about him ,he was born in 1628 died 1688. He had a basic education, before he became a Christian,well he was a sinner,but are we not  all sinners?, of course, but some people show it more than others. We read that he was born near Bedford,when he was 15 , his mother and sister died within a month of each other, his father married within a month of their deaths.It was a time of great unrest,and he served time in the Parliamentary army.He recounts how a fellow soldier took his place on sentry duty, and was shot in the head with a musket ball.God is sovereign, and has a plan for a lives,Daniel was spared in the lions den,his three friends survived a fiery furnace, I was saved from drowning as a young boy. Until God degrees we will not die                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Plagues and deaths, around me fly;                                                                                                           Till  He bids, I  cannot die;                                                                                                                         Not a single shaft can hit,                                                                                                                           Till the God of love sees fit.                                                                                                                         ( Words.. John Ryland )

In His hands. ( Psalm 31 v 15 )

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     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.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ( Words.. Henry F, Lyte )

A means of grace. ( Revelation 3 v 3 )

A. Motyer writing on the tabernacle ,that it was a means of grace,they were required to supply the materials,the result being they could have in a very special way ,the Lords presence.In other words they had to do their part,and God would respond ,in a sense it was up to them. . AM  goes unto say the following as to us individually and collectively,''We to have means of grace at our disposal; public and  corporate means like Christian fellowship, the ministry of God's word and the  Lord's table,and  private means like time apart with God for prayer and Bible reading. We can, however , choose to live at a distance, neglecting these things which would bring God near to us and us near to Him. The tabernacle is a depiction of a reality as well as an ideal. In it we can see represented, the indwelling God,  the God near at hand,and the avenues of approach, which can either be cultivated or neglected. Has the chief failing of the Lord's people through the ages always been that we do not live up to our privileges ? ''

Deeds not words. ( James 2 v 18 )

At this time in our country we are remembering the right of women to vote,which the suffragettes fought so bravely for. Yet the fight still goes on for women to be treated in an equal way, in regards pay.Sadly in many places in the world women are still drawing the short straw. No religion has the right to treat women in an unfair way, it is sad that women are still being treated deplorably in the name of religion.One of the cries of the suffragette movement was, ''we want deeds not words'', in other words they wanted something done,they wanted change, and rightly so.We hear a lot about the homeless but it appears to be on the increase,the fact is what we want is deeds not words.I believe it can be overcome, and its time it was,I have often talked to those sleeping rough,one young lad in particular comes to mind,it upset me.There are so many issues in our world that need deeds and not words,there are many governments in this world who need to look at things and say we need to stop that.and then do something about it. I have pictures of  the awful conditions people are living in,it is time  that the cry went up we are going to do something about that situation,there are countries and people are being persecuted and put in prison because they have raised  human right issues,this needs to be stopped. I know that this is a fallen world,there will always be injustice of one sort or another, but those early suffragettes did something about it, the sale of slaves was a blight in our world, but there where those who stood up and did something about it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Dear Lord help us to do something                                                                                                            about  injustice ,and wrong  in this                                                                                                            sinful needy world in Your name                                                                                                              we ask this  .  Amen.