Is God tapping you on the shoulder? ( Luke 18 v 1 )

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writing from a Nazi prison to a friend wrote,''When all's said and done,it is true that it needs trouble to drive us to prayer, though every time I feel it is something to be ashamed of''.We see this so clearly in the book of Judges, this book has a repetitious theme to it,the people turn from God ,and he deals with them,and its then they cry unto God for deliverance. It is a sad fact that even Christians don't always pray or if they do it is a brief encounter with God. So it may be  that the difficulties you are experiencing ,is God tapping you on the shoulder, reminding you to pray.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Don't forget to pray

Do you want to grow? ( 1 Peter 2 v 2 )

The first sermon I preached when I came to England was from Micah 6 v 8, that was forty years ago,I preached it with a view of becoming a minister, and so it came about. There will always be scriptures that we associate with an event in our life's history,one of things Israel were commanded to do was to remember Gods word. In Deuteronomy 11 v 18 -20 we read,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;                                                                                  tie them as Symbols on your hands and bind them                                                                                    on your foreheads. Teach them to your children                                                                                        talking about when you sit at home and when you                                                                                    walk along the road,when you lie down and when                                                                                    get up.                                                                                                                  I preached a sermon recently I ended it by stressing three points as regards the word of God ,they were   ,                                          Feed on the word of God.                                                                                                                          Understand the word of God                                                                                                                      Obey the word of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Do these three things and you will                                                                                                                     grow spiritually.

All are welcome ( John 6 v 37 )

Following on as regards Dr Barnardo,,early on in the work he was doing,a child called Carrot came and asked to be allowed to stay in the shelter he ran. Unfortunately  there was no room, he gave the boy sixpence to get something to eat,assured him that when a place opened up he would let him stay. Little Carrot went away,found somewhere to sleep, in an empty sugar barrel.It was very cold next morning he was found dead, due to exhaustion,exposure and lack of food.When Dr. Barnardo heard this he vowed to never turn another child away. He had a large notice painted above the door of the house. It said; NO DESTITUTE CHILD IS EVER REFUSED ADMITTANCE.These words remind us  of what our Saviour said,''Anyone who comes to Me I will never drive away'' ( John 6 v 37 ). Consider the word anyone,without exception, be you a child,poor, rich,an addict, a criminal ,anyone,the wonderful news is Christ came to save sinners,go to Him confessing your sin and He will forgive you.

Gods way. ( Proverbs 3 v 6 )

Most  people have heard of Barnardo's orphanages which was started by Dr. Thomas Barnardo, who was born in Dublin,where he became a Christian.As a young lad he in Dublin he would go out night after night witnessing and helping the poor and needy.Later he travelled to  London to train to be a doctor.,with the intention of going to China to be a missionary.,but that never happened,God had other plans,and He found himself working among the poor and destitute in the east end of London.      many dear Christian ,have been surprised where they have ended up, Gods plans are often different than our plans. Don't box yourselves into a corner where God never meant you  to be, He has ways of changing the direction we should go.We read in Proverbs 19 v 21.  ''Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              He leadeth me, O blessed thought,                                                                                                            O words with heavenly comfort fraught,                                                                                                  Whate'er I do , wherever I be,                                                                                                                    Still tis God's hand  that leadeth me

Futu8re glory. ( 2 Timothy 4 v 6 - 8 )

As I write this it is windy and raining outside,well I suppose it wouldn't be inside,earlier I went for my usual daily walk, I brought with me my umbrella and felt a bit tired as I completed my walk.It was not to severe the weather, but the words of a lovely old came to mind, 'The sands of times are sinking',and the last verse which reads.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I've wrestled on towards heaven,                                                                                                              'Gainst storm, and wind, and tide;                                                                                                              Now like a weary trav'ller                                                                                                                          That leaneth on His guide;                                                                                                                        Amid the shades of  evening,                                                                                                                    While sinks life's lingering sand,                                                                                                              I hail the glory dawning                                                                                                                            In Immanuel's land.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          W Barclay on the hope of salvation writes ,''It is the confidence of safety in the world to come. It is the hope of safety amidst the perils of  earth, and rescue from the judgment of God                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ' Future Glory.'

Einstein. ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 26 - 31 )

Recently a letter by Einstein ,called the'God letter', sold for millions of dollars, in the letter he wrote that the Bible was an expression of human weakness,filled with myths.It appears that from an early age he abandoned religion saying  that he had been deceived into believing a lie.Einstein as you know was one of the 20th centuries greatest physicist,although he was a bad speller.So the great physicist has spoken, which is sad, but there is nothing new under the sun,for we read ,''For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing''(1 Cor 1 v 18 ) The great philosophers of  Greece with all their earthly wisdom ,saw the gospel as foolishness. W Barclay wrote ,'' The Greeks were intoxicated with fine words; and to them  the Christian preacher with his blunt message seemed a crude and uncultured figure, to be laughed at and ridiculed rather than be listened to and respected''. To them the Christian message was foolishness,but to us who are being saved it is the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1 v 24 )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Jesus is way, the truth, and the life.                                                                                                                       ( John 14 v 6 )

Do it. ( John 2 v 5 )

I remember being given a reprimand because I had not carried out a certain task, I was told ,' do it'. In James 1 v 22  we read,'' Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. It is W. Barclay who writes, ''.Dr .Johnson was one of the great talkers of  all time; John Wesley was one the great men of action of all time. They knew each other,and Johnson had only one complaint about Wesley;''John Wesley's conversation is good, but he is never at leisure. He is always obliged to go at a certain hour. This is very disagreeable to a man who loves to fold his legs and have his talk out,as I do'' But the fact remains that Wesley, the man of action, wrote his name across England in a way in which Johnson the man of talk, never did.'' Jesus our Saviour said , ''Not everyone who says to Me ,' Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven''( Matthew 7 v 21 )