Happy birthday. ( Psalm 90 v 10 )

I am 75 today imagine I am  three quarters of a century old,I remember an neighbour saying that when she saw me shortly after I was born , she cried,I must have been very small possible premature. A lot has happened in my life ,educationally I didn't do well,I learned the 3 R's,and that was about it. The old song goes,,regrets, well I suppose we all have regrets,one thing we can't do is change the past. But what we all can do is keep following the Lord,after all you can do no better thing than that.I  am thankful for the friends I have had. Their friendships were never permanent ,but one friendship that has been permanent is my Saviour's,when He said He would never leave me, nor  forsake me He really meant it. He has always kept His word,never broken it,never. Well what about the future? a good question,He will still be with me,of that I am sure,He will still love and care for me, this friend called Jesus.                                                                                                                                                                                             I've found a friend, oh such a friend,                                                                                                          He loved me ere I knew Him;                                                                                                                    He drew me with the cords of love  ,                                                                                                        And thus He bound me to Him;                                                                                                                And round my heart still closely twine,                                                                                                    Those ties which naught can sever,                                                                                                             For I am His, and He is mine,                                                                                                                   For  ever and for ever.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   I've found a friend, oh, such a friend,                                                                                                         So kind, and true and tender,                                                                                                                     So wise a Counsellor, and guide,                                                                                                                So mighty a defender  ,                                                                                                                             From Him who loves me now so well                                                                                                       What power my soul, shall sever?                                                                                                             Shall life, or death, or earth,or hell?                                                                                                           No, I am His for ever.                                                                                                                                     ( WORDS> J.G. Small )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Humility ( Philippians 2 v 5 - 11 )

Melanie Reid writing in her book,'The world I fell out of'', of her early days in hospital,after she was paralysed from the chest down,wrote the following.'' My physical plight ,  I was learning what was the equivalent of being sent to university to do a degree in humility''.While I would not want Melanie's experience of being paralysed, I am sure we all need to learn to be more humble. I believe most of us ,yes myself included,wear a badge  pinned to our cheats,with the words on it which read ,I am Billy( put your own name there),and I'm proud of it''. Consider how often the word slips into our vocabulary,I am proud to be,English,or in my case an Ulster man.I am proud of my children,my home,my medals.Ah we may protest and say it is only words,no it is more than just words it is an attitude ,pride is a sin, we have to tear away our distorted reasoning.The words of an old hymn come to mind,'He washed my eyes with tears that I may see',sad to say it is only through the university of suffering, do we learn to change our sinful mind sets. If we are as Christians,to be like Jesus,then pride must die as we kneel before the cross , of Him, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God,became a  servant, and became obedient to death on a cross.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     When I survey the wondrous cross,                                                                                                           On which the prince of glory died,                                                                                                              My richest gain I count but loss,                                                                                                                And pour contempt on all my pride.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     (Words by Isaac Watts )

God loves you. ( John 3 v 16 )

Most days I go for my daily walk,I use the the same route , and I often pass the same people  acknowledge a good morning,some I manage to talk to. Now I have a burden to witness to people of course we all should have that burden. I am concerned that I don't witness enough, But the other morning I saw a man I had spoken to a number of times,he had suffered a stroke which had an affect on him,but he was still an active man. I had never witnessed to him, but I had prayed for him. That      morning I saw him on the other side of the road,and I crossed over to talk to him. After inquiring how he was ,I felt led to say to him,'' God loves you''.it was a brief witness,I  also mentioned Christ, I felt what I had said touched him,and as I walked away from him, I offered a prayer for him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Selwyn Hughes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        ''God really does love us. To put it in modern parlance, He is crazy                                                            about us.''

Be not dismayed . ( Isaiah 41 v 10 )

We must never forget that when Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him, it meant a degree of suffering.The Gospel did not advance without a cost, and nothing has changed.It is the apostle Paul who wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica ,he mentions to them his suffering in Philippi and the difficulties in bringing then the Gospel to them. In 1 Thessalonians 2 v  he writes, '' with the help of our God we dared to tell you the Gospel' .Moffat puts it like this, ''We took courage and confidence in our God''. If we read the life of Paul we see the difficulties and dangers he had to face,in 2 Cor 11 v 22- 27 we have a whole list of things he experienced,imprisonment, exposed to death,floggings, beaten,stoned, shipwrecked,dangers,going without sleep,with food,cold and nakedness. Yes you need courage,but also a confidence in God, not in self,or others , but in God,only He can bring us through whatever task we are called to do,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Be not dismayed what'er betide,                                                                                                                God will take care of you,                                                                                                                          Beneath His wings of love abide,                                                                                                             God will take care of you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Through days of toil when heart doth fail,                                                                                                God will take care of you,                                                                                                                          When dangers fierce your path assail,                                                                                                         God will take care of you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             All you need He will provide,                                                                                                                   God will take care of you,                                                                                                                         Trust Him,and you will be satisfied,                                                                                                          God will take care of you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Lonely or sad, from friends apart,                                                                                                              God will take care of you,                                                                                                                          He will give peace to your aching heart,                                                                                                    God will take care of you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               No matter what may be the test,                                                                                                                 God will take care of you,                                                                                                                         Lean, weary one ,upon His breast,                                                                                                             God will take care of you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             God will take care of you,                                                                                                                         Through every day, o'er all the way;                                                                                                         He will take care of you,                                                                                                                           God will take care of you.                                                                                                                              ( Words C.D.Martin                                                                                                                                       and H.C.A.D. )                                                                                                     

Disqualified ( Psalm 95 v 7 - 11 )

Writing on the promises of God Barry Webb comments, ''Human failure does not, in the end cancel     out God's promises; it only disqualifies the disobedient from enjoying them. The bedrock reality that guarantees the future is God's sovereignty. By His sovereign grace He enables those who are truly  His to believe His promises and live by them''Most of those who came out of  Egypt, were disqualified from entering the promised land ,because of  sinful , unbelieving hearts,( Hebrews 3 v 12 )Only two of that present generation entered the promise land,but the promise still stood, and was fulfilled by the next generation. That generation that failed to enter the promise land, could have had it all, but instead they failed to enter into the promised blessing. Not only did they fail to receive the blessing we read they incurred Gods displeasure, John Stott writes,''Unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied; it is a sin to be deplored''                                                                                                                                                                                        Hebrews 4 v 7                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ' Today ,if you hear my voice,                                                                                                                     do not harden your hearts.'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Promises. ( Joshua 21 v 45 )

Now we have looked at one aspect of the promises of God, the second coming of Jesus , but of course    there are promises given in relation to every aspect of our lives and our walk with God. It is W Barclay who writes, ''Once we know Christ Jesus ,every time we meet a promise in Scripture which begins with the word , ''Whosoever'', we can immediately say to ourselves,''That means me.''                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ''God always keeps His word''.

Promises ( Titus 1 v 2 )

Next let us consider 2 Peter 1 v 4 ,which reads that God has given the Christian precious and very great promises.  Dick Lucus writes, '' The theme of 'promise' runs throughout the Bible, Peter in writing here is contending with those who were doubting the promise of Christs coming, ( 3 v 4 ).Where is the promise of His coming?, they ask.Indeed many even Christians are asking this ,after all it is over two thousand years since Christ went to heaven.So Peter has to remind us that Gods time table is different than ours. God is not a slave of time,to help us understand this he declares,to the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.  (  3 v 8 ) He is patient giving opportunity for people to be saved.But he stresses that Christ will come  as a thief in the night, which will  bring the end of this present world. In the light of this we are to lives that are holy and godly. ( 3 v 10 - 11 )                                                                                                                                                                                                       Will you be ready?