Hallelujah. ( Ephesians 5 v 20 )

I sometimes become emotional when I consider how kind my Loving Heavenly Father is to me,I come from a one parent family,my mother was married ,but left my father, early in my life. The result being she had to bring us up herself,I had three brothers and ,two sisters,in those far of days, there was very little given to single parents.I did not enjoy school and left at the age fifteen ,I had no qualifications.So none of the jobs I worked paid much,when I got married we got along as best we could. The turning point in my life was when I came back to the Lord,and He looked after us,like Paul I can praise God He has taught me to be content,with little or much, When we went to Bible college we trusted God to meet our needs,and He did just that,I am an ordained minister, but it was not Gods will that I should be full time,so I had a a number of Jobs,the last one was a position in a mental health  team,which I  worked at for 23 years.Now I am retired and as I reflect on all the way God has blessed me,I have a wonderful Saviour, and the only thing I can say is,  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, which means simply Praise the Lord..

Broad or narrow road? ( John 3 v 16 )

During the battle of El Alamein ,some of the Allied forces  were making their way along a narrow  pathway, the Germans had lade land mines on either side of it.Some soldiers did stray of the narrow path and where killed. It reminded me of what our Saviour taught in Matthew 7 v 13 - 14 ,about a broad road, and a narrow road. First the broad road it is easy to enter that road and many do , yes I look out on this world and the thing  that saddens me, the vast majority of people are on this broad road. Now this broad road is not a road to no where,no Jesus tells us ,that it leads to destruction.In other words it leads its travellers to utter ruin.I need to continually remind people that the bible teaches of an after life in either Hell or Heaven.The narrow road leads to life,not the place of the dead,but to the place of eternal joy,to all who have trusted Jesus as their Saviour (John 10 v 9 ) Jesus ends his teaching by saying only a few find that narrow road. Remember the majority are not always right , so many never give very serious thought to life's end. Everyone should be asking the question ,''Where am I going to spend eternity?'',will it be heaven or hell?'. As you read these words what is your reply?

Amazing Grace. ( Ephesians 2 v 10 )

A man was talking on the radio about the events in USA of  the protests during the civil rights movement. He spoke of how on one march they were attacked,it was very frightening,but the protesters were determined to not give up.So they marched the next evening, they were soon surrounded by a racist crowd ,many of them had table legs,in which to attack the protesters,the man telling the events of that evening,said he felt real fear.But just at that moment someone started singing , 'Amazing Grace', and as the protesters moved  forward , a pathway through  the racist mob opened up so letting them walk through.The racist were confused by the hymn being sung as it was one of the hymns they sung in their church . Amazing Grace, saved the day,Gods amazing Grace.That amazing  grace did not only save the day,it has saved multitudes ,it has sustained multitudes,it has strengthened multitudes.                                                                                                                                                                                      Amazing grace how sweet the sound                                                                                                        That saved a wretch like me,                                                                                                                       I once was lost, but now am found,                                                                                                            Was blind, but now I see.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,                                                                                                     And grace my fears relieved  ;                                                                                                                   How precious did that Grace appear,                                                                                                         The  hour I first believed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Through many dangers ,toils and snares,                                                                                                   I have already come;                                                                                                                                 Tis grace has brought me safe thus far                                                                                                       And grace will lead me home,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The Lord has promised good to me,                                                                                                          His word my hope secures;                                                                                                                        He will my Shield and Portion be,                                                                                                            As long as life endures.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Yes, when this flesh and heart  shall fail,                                                                                                   And mortal life shall cease,                                                                                                                       I shall possess  within the veil,                                                                                                                   A life of joy and peace                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   When we've been there a thousand years,                                                                                                  Bright shining as the sun,                                                                                                                           We've no less days to sing God's praise,                                                                                                  Than when we first begun.                                                                                                                             ( John Newton )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Gods timetable. ( Habakkuk 2 v 3 )

I often reflect on Gods timing in my life,how things happened at just the right time.Even so I must remember that there is my timetable and Gods timetable. This is seen in the early church as regards the second coming of our Lord Jesus. They had hoped that He would come soon and when it did not happen, Peter had to remind them of mans timetable and Gods,'' But do not forget this one thing ,dear friends; With the Lord a day is like a thousand years ,and a thousand years are like a day''(2 Peter 3 v 8 ).There are people who say that Paul expected Christ to come, in his life time, I believe he hoped that would be ,every generation of Christians hope Christ will come, in their lifetime,that is why it is called the blessed hope. Many of the promises given to Old  Testament saints,did not get fulfilled in their lifetime,but they did get fulfilled at the time of Gods choosing.         Every promise is set to Gods timetable,some happen immediately, but the vital thing to remember is, it will happen,no power on earth can stop it from happening.If it is a promise concerning a need, a job, God will undertake, in His time,coinciding with the promise God desires that we believe, faith in Gods word,will be rewarded,and is pleasing to God ( Hebrews 11 v 6 )

A man possessed . ( John 8 v 34 )

I was speaking recently on Judas Iscariot,people speculate as to why he betrayed Jesus ,well we do not have to speculate. If we stick to what is revealed in Scripture, well the first thing we are told about him he was a thief John 12 v 6, this was said about him,when he he complained about the woman who poured expensive perfume over Jesus. The woman did this as a lovely act of  devotion to Jesus ,in relation to His death.The  next thing we see about Judas he did not care for the poor ( John 12 v 5 ), he would not have agreed that the poor where blessed (Luke 6 v 20 ).Unlike Jesus who was caring and loving he was uncaring ,he was given a position of trust,and he turned out untrustworthy ,for he was the in charge of the finances, but he cooked the books, helping himself,to what we wanted.When Jesus rebuked him for  his reproaching the woman who poured the perfume over Jesus  feet, he must have felt hard done by,for the money would have gone into the common purse,which he had control of. He immediately went to the chief priests,to betray Jesus for money.This was a man who was controlled by a lust for money,and did not care how he got it.And of course the devil took every advantage of  this man,as he will with any of us if we open ourselves to him. Our lusts can so easily control us,so much so we do not care as to others,not care as regards to the consequences. Like Judas the devil can then take advantage and use us for his own filthy ends and even for our destruction,for make no mistake about Judas,there was only one place Judas would end up,and it was not Heaven.

Gods strange...... ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 7 )

So many people ,yes even Christians,bring God down to their level,they judge God, even condemn Him,they point the finger and say that's not right,He should not act like that,why does He not do something ,why did He let that happen. You may be thinking like that ,even the prophet Habakkuk voiced a why?, then there where people who would doubt that the Lord was coming,because they where judging Him from a purely human level,limiting the eternal God to being a creature of time. It was the people at the at the time of Isaiah who could not grasp the God who is merciful,Islam cannot grasp this as many of their followers slaughter  dear people,they see God purely as a fearsome judge.The people of our Lords day thought like this , they could not understand,when he reached out to those they considered sinners,forgetting that  all our sinners.Gods strange ways,His strange love,His strange mercy,His strange forgiveness. Yes strange but its a beautiful strangeness,let us   stop judging God ,from our limited human, position ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        For my thoughts are not your thoughts,                                                                                                    nor are your ways My ways,says the                                                                                                        Lord.''For as the heavens are higher than                                                                                                  the earth,so are my ways higher than your                                                                                                ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Oh, the depth of the riches both of the                                                                                                       wisdom and knowledge of God. How                                                                                                       unsearchable are His judgements and                                                                                                         and His ways past finding out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ( Isaiah 55 v 8 - 9 /  Romans 11 v 33)

Distinctness. ( Matthew 7 v 16 )

When I was a young Christian, Christians were distinct from non-Christian,in that we did not go to places of entertainment,we did not smoke ,or drink, gambling  was considered wrong. I remember playing darts with my workmates ,and a person who I considered a friend snubbed me. TV was considered by many out of bounds, and for a long time I did not have one, Women were frowned on if they  put on make up,or if they  wore trousers,,(slacks or jeans).  The term worldliness was often mentioned  and if you  went against the fore mentioned things ,you were considered worldly. .We were seeking to be separate from the world, I personally am glad that I gave up smoking, and drinking,and stopped gambling ,I do not think I was deprived of anything and am the better for it.. Alec Motyer writes,'' This sort of isolationist difference is not what  the Bible looks for. We are called,rather,  to ransack Scriptures to discover the distinctive features of a godly lifestyle and to follow through with a discipline of obedience to the word of God. ''                                                                                                         ''The Lord desires His people to be distinct,                                                                                               He wants us to live in the courts of earth                                                                                                   according to the rules of the courts of heaven''                                                                                                    (  A. Motyer  )