Joy. ( Nehemiah 8 v 10 )

Lets continue to consider the exhortations from 1 Thessalonians 5 v 14 ff.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ''Be joyful always,pray continually, gave thanks in all                                                                              circumstances,for this is Gods will for you in Christ                                                                                Jesus.                                                                                                                       I  wonder which one of these you find hard ,be joyful always, does that mean I go through the day with a forced grin on my face, I don't think so I , it appears an impossible thing to ask. until we realise that this is not a natural experience, it is a spiritual gift,which we can experience, let us ask God that we may know this Joy.                                                                                                                                                                      Dear God grant unto us that lovely fruit of                                                                                                 Spiritual joy, lift from our spirit a moody                                                                                                      miserable spirit and replace it with your joy.                                                                                                          In Jesus name. Amen.                                                                                                                                                                 

Getting ones own back. ( Luke 6 v 27 - 36 )

So we move on considering the exhortations in 1 Thessalonians 5 v 14 ff.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          '' Make sure that nobody pays back wrong                                                                                                   for wrong, but always strive to do good for                                                                                               each other and for everyone else.''                                                                   I like J.B. Phillips translation of this verse.                                                                                                                                         ''Be sure that no one repays a bad turn by a                                                                                                bad turn; good should be your objective                                                                                                   always, among yourselves and in the world                                                                                               at large''                                                                                                              There is a lot of wrong things ,unjust things happening to many people,acid  being thrown at people , it was challenging to hear a young man on the news who experienced such an attack,saying he forgave the person who did it. He realised that justice must be carried out,but on a personal level he forgave him.                                                                                                                                                                                       

This do. ( 1 Thessalonians 5 v 12ff )

In 1 Thessalonians 5 v 12ff the apostle Paul  finishes his letter with words of instruction, I want to leave a number of them with you.
                                                    '' Live in peace with each other. ''                                                           These words are spoken to Christians, we are not meant to be at war with our fellow brothers, and sister's, if you are at war with some fellow Christian,its time you made peace with them.                                                                            ''Encourage the timid''                                                                          The   Christian life is a challenge, everyone is not courageous, I  received a word of thanks for a gift   I had given to someone,he was thankful, but he ended by saying it also was an encouragement.                                                                  '' Help the weak''                                                                                We are all weak to some extent, but there are those who feel their weakness more than others,lets us not judge them, but help them.                                                                                                                                               

, The choice is ours. ( Jeremiah 21 v 8 )

We continue to look at the consequences of Achan's sin , now let us consider what David G. Firth has to say,'' Jericho represents the possibility for Israel when they obey Yahweh . By contrast, Ai shows how sin within Israel makes them enemies,though sin will not have the last word. Nevertheless, this is a story that shows a little sin goes a long way,and just as a small piece of yeast affects a whole lump of dough , so the sin of one affects the whole community. In spite of claims that certain activities ' do not hurt anyone else ' and should therefore be accepted, this passage ( Joshua 7 ) is clear that sin does not work that  way. Sin is never isolated because that sin will  affect other aspects of our life and, even if only indirectly , the community of which we are a part'' The word of God tells us of the consequence of Adam's sin  in Romans 5 v12, that sin has been passed on to the whole of humanity, and its consequences,  sin and death. The history of mankind shows our sinful nature,our life history shows are sinful nature, we are separated from God and a relationship with Him  .There is a heaven there is a hell, because of our sin we cannot go to heaven and we will go to heaven.Here is the good news Jesus death on the cross means that when we trust Him sin is completely dealt with, and its  heaven, here we come.

Be patient ( 2 Peter 3 v 9 )

Let us continue to consider the exhortations in 1 Thessalonians 5 v  13 ff.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ''Be patient with everyone.''                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Mankind has not changed since this was written ,look out in the world, so many are in a hurry,not very patient . I remember years ago asking a man selling papers the way to the place I was going, he told me but I did not understand. I said that to him and he became very abusive ,it was obvious he lacked patience. We are not just told to be patient ,but to be patient with everyone  ,now that's a challenge , let us all remember ,how God is patient with you and me.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

It just happened. ( Genesis 1 v 1 )

Had a time away for a few days, in the county of Dorset,we stayed on a site in a cabin,with one of my sons,his wife and grandson aged two . One of the pleasures we enjoyed was that of seeing  squirrels,ducks,robins,deer's,we also visited monkey world, we really enjoyed our time away, seeing the wonder of Gods creation,it did not just happen,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              All things  bright and beautiful,                                                                                                                 All creatures great and small,                                                                                                                     All  things wise and wonderful,                                                                                                                 The Lord God made them all                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Each little flower that opens,                                                                                                                     Each little bird that sings,                                                                                                                           He made there glowing colours,                                                                                                                 He made their tiny wings.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             He gave us eyes to see them,                                                                                                                     And lips that we might tell,                                                                                                                       How great is God  Almighty,                                                                                                                     Who has done all things well.                                                                                                                    ( Words...Mrs. C.F.Alexander ) 

Billy Graham ( Acts 1 v 8 )

I watched on Utube Billy Graham ministering to a stadium filled with thousands of people,and listened to him preach. At the end of the service hundreds of people made their way down to the front of  the stadium to hopefully trust Jesus. The sermon he had preached was so clear I wrote most of it down ,it blessed me greatly, as far as I could judge ,Billy was a very faithful  servant of God , I call him Billy for that's what he will always be to me , he was a signpost pointing millions of people to Christ. If we are Christians, like Billy,we are called to be faithful, to be signposts, pointing people to Jesus. Billy was a man of God ,now he is with the Lord.    I read the following by John Piper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             May it be so that when you are dead                                                                                                         and gone, the people you love and serve                                                                                                   will say, ''This one knew God. This one                                                                                                     loved God and lived for the glory of                                                                                                         God and showed us God day after day.                                                                                                     This one, as the apostle said, was filled                                                                                                      with all the fullness of  God.   ( Eph 3 v 19 )