The ministry ( Ephesians 6 v 19 - 20 )

My front door needed adjusted, the problem is who can I get to fix?, as I look back on jobs, people did for me,there were those who didn't do a very good job.Possible the problem with my door was caused by someone in the past.thankfully I got the door fixed,by a man who was well qualified.Now when it comes to the word of God, it is vital that I study Gods word,in order to explain it correctly ( 2 Timothy 2 v 15 ). When I was at Bible college ,one of the lecturers said,if one is called to the ministry,it will mean a life time of study. As Paul reminds in so doing we have Gods approval, I read different books, but my main reading and studying  is the bible. I have a library of books that aid me in my study,I use different commentaries, concordances, I  have just purchased  a bible with Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionary of the Old and New Testament .I personally do not know Hebrew or Greek. In my studying of Gods word, I at all times hold fast to the truths therein,and preach it,it is a sad truth that many in the ministry do not hold to biblical truths,that is very sad, for they are doing untold damage to those they minister to. Sad though it may be I can only be responsible for my own God given ministry, I will not be accountable for those who do not preach  the whole council of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          A minister must preach the truth                                                                                                                the whole truth,and nothing but the                                                                                                                              truth.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

He is altogether lovely ( Song of Solomon 5 v 16 )

Mary J. Evans , writes, '' Hero worship, even of great biblical characters, is not recommended''.the same goes in life  ,and in the present church,or missionaries , ministers.Yes we can have our hero's, but we must remember and never forget the best of men are but flawed men. Now take David,a wonderful man ,brave , forgiving, sometimes, a wonderful prayer life, but a very flawed individual,  was he a good father?,was he a good husband?  . Yes of course we love David,our wives love us,our children love us, in spite of our many flaws. I was all dressed up , then I noticed a double crease on one leg of my trousers. that simple thing reminded me like David I get things wrong, we all do,so  ,so remember, no hero worship.                                                                                                                                                                          Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus                                                                                                                           and worship Him.

A book that changed my life. ( Psalms 119 v 105 )

Of course the book that has changed many people lives is the bible,that goes for me,because it is a living word it continues to change my life. Where I could be unforgiven, the bible challenges me to forgive,where I be tempted  in many areas of my life,the bible challenges me to not yield to temptation.When I am struggling  the Bible tells that God is there to help me cope and even overcome my difficulties.I am told that God will meet my needs and He does,whatever that need may be. I am assured continually that my Saviour is with me, watching over me,guiding me.When I  feel panic rising in my heart,He tells me,trust Me,and when I think of dying I am assured of a wonderful future,beyond death, in which everything will perfect. From an early age,the bible assured me that I had a Father called God.All this came into place when Christ became my Saviour and my Lord,and I became a child of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The living word of God changed my life,                                                                                                   and it can change your life.

What Jesus said. ( Matthew 8 v 11 - 12 )

In Matthew 8 v 11 - 12, spoken in response to a Roman centurion who had a serious ill servant,      would  Jesus  heal him. What follows caused Jesus to marvel at this non Jewish   man's faith,for  he says to Jesus,to speak and his servant would be healed. The conversation widens out , which  would challenge the Jewish exclusiveness, and would even challenge them to question their standing before God.  Jesus took this opportunity to give hope to the world,the kingdom of God is no longer to be limited, but will include those from every tribe, not just from the 12 tribes of Israel,and every tongue, not just of the Hebrew tongue,people from all over the world. ( Revelation 5 v 9 ) ''Next Jesus goes on on to speak to those who considered themselves as those who thought that because of their ancestry they had automatic entrance into the kingdom of God.( John 8 v  31 - 59 ). These are the unrepentant Jews ,''(From my study Bible) ,Not only will they not gain entrance into Gods eternal kingdom ,but they will be cast out into the outer darkness , in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.These words remind us that contrary to what many people think ,death is not the end,and that eternal glory awaiting all who accept Jesus,and eternal judgement for those who don't.

He just touched it ( 2 Samuel 6 )

When  David became king and things were going well for him,his mind turned to the Ark of God or the Ark of the covenant ,which was being kept by a family in a place called Kiriath-jearim, it had stayed there for twenty years.after the battle with the Philistines ( 1 Sam 7 ) David decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem,so they placed the Ark on a new cart and headed back to Jerusalem . Everybody was celebrating and the bands played, wonderful,then something happened that stopped everyone in their tracks.,a man touched the Ark ,thinking it was going to fall of the cart,but the moment he did that, the Lord struck him down for his irreverent action and he died.Davids immediate response was anger and then then fear.It may seem an innocent thing to simply touch the Ark, but it wasn't. God forbid anyone to touch it on power of death ( Numbers 4 v 15 ),and the Ark was meant to be carried. Deuteronomy 4 v 2  / 5 v 32 / 12 v 32 .  stresses the importance of doing exactly what  God commands,to not deviate from it in any way or there would be consequences. Uzzah paid the price for disobedience ,the same would have happened to David if he had touched the Ark.It is Mary J.Evans who writes''Our conviction that God is' nice and would never do anything that we might not like ,makes passages like this one difficult for us. We need to grasp much more clearly what it means to say ,that God is holy.......Passages like this force us to take seriously how strongly God feels about placing our preferences before His revealed will''                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Gods instructions were not to be so                                                                                                                          lightly dismissed.                                                                                                                                           ( M.J.Evans)                                                                                                                   

Lock your cars ( 1 Thessalonians 5 v 9 )

One of my boys and his family live in an area which they feel is reasonably safe,when he goes home he dose not lock his car.So when he came out one morning he discovered that someone had got into his car and stole his sat nav. I often hear older people talking about when they where young ,they didn't lock their doors, maybe that was true,as it was a more closed society,less mobile society.It may be sad to think that we cannot leave our cars unlocked,or our houses unlocked.but the reality is we live on a fallen planet,we are all sinners, oh no we will not necessary,rob someone,but the reality of our fallen nature will in some way show its self,we glibly say, no one is perfect,not only is no one perfect we are sinners,thats the truth,the whole truth,and nothing but the truth,and without exception we need  a Saviour,for sooner than you may think,it will catch up on you,your sin will find you out . In the book of  Revelation 20 v  13 we read that a record of our deeds is being kept in heaven ,imagine ,that every wrong thought,word, and deed that we have ever committed will be revealed,and judgement will fall,there will be no escape ,no heaven,only.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Christ came into this world to                                                                                                                              save sinners                                                                                                                                                      that                                                                                                                                                            means                                                                                                                                                            you.

Faith Road. ( Hebrews 12 v 2 )

Have faith in God, because those in the kingdom of God,enter it by faith,and are challenged to live by faith. Faith in  God means we tare rusting in God who is invisible if my memory serves me right a Russian astronaut made a cynical comment in space as regards no evidence of God.As a Christian I worship a God who is invisible ,that His being is a mystery ,and whose ways are also a mystery.Likewise I believe in a Saviour whom I have never seen, yet I love Him and I believe He loves me. There is are so many things I cannot explain,and  may never explain,this side of eternity. God alone  knows all things, when I come to him in prayer,it is a way in which I can communicate with Him, I am not talking to myself,or the ceiling,no to my God who is also my loving heavenly Father. The road that I am on is called, ' Faith Road', I started on this road when Christ became my Saviour,as I journey on I sometimes loose my way,but God the Holy Spirit,gently draws me back again. On Faith Road,I will meet many obstacles, but by Gods grace, through faith I carry on,.By faith I keep my eyes on Jesus who  says, do not be like Peter who began to drown, because he took his eyes of me, His faith turned into unbelief, but I held him up.I must confess I am a bit like Peter, but I know by faith that Peters Lord is my Lord, and each time I fall,He will lift me up and help me to stand.