Pay twice ( Galatians 6 v 14 )

I received a gift token that entitled me to go to the cinema,so I took advantage and  went to see Dumbo the elephant with the big ears that enabled it to fly. When I ordered my ticket, there was a problem taking the sum required of the gift card,and was asked had I any money to pay for my  ticket.I challenged what I was asked to do, no I'm not paying twice,I stood my ground, so he tried the gift  card again and it worked.It reminded me of  the words in Romans 6 v 23, ''the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'' Salvation is a gift, it is very simple,but for some, they insist that we must do something to be saved,good works,religious rules,etc.Like the young at the cinema who asked for me to pay when all the time I had a gift token ,that entitled me to see that movie. They think God is like that ,that He is demanding from  us an extra something,but this is not so. When Christ died on the cross He paid the necessary price for our salvation.and all we have to do is trust Jesus as our Saviour, nothing else,having  done that by His grace, we receive eternal life.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Ephesians  2 v 8 - 9.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 For it is by grace you have been saved, through                                                                                       faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift                                                                                         of  God, not of works, so that no one can boast.

The Cross ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 18 )

I am told that the Roman soldiers carried I'm not sure were they carried it,a sign of the cross, nothing to do with Christianity,it was a threat to any one who would dare oppose them ,that they would be crucified. It was considered the worst kind of death,a Roman citizen would not have been crucified.Yet it just like our great God who would transform the cruel instrument of death and transform it into a symbol of hope. I wear a little cross as a sign of hope, Leon Morris wrote the following, ''The cross is the focus of the Christian faith.He who understands the Cross aright, wrote Emil Brunner, ''understands the Bible- he understands Jesus Christ,'' Without the cross there would be no Christian faith, for the Christian salvation was won by Christ's atoning work''  Let me just add to that and say without the cross there would be no hope for the world, that includes you and me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,                                                                                           The emblem of suffering and shame;                                                                                                         And I love that old cross where the dearest and best,                                                                               For a world of lost sinners was slain.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             O,the old rugged cross,so despised by the world,                                                                                     Has a wondrous attraction for me,                                                                                                             For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,                                                                                       To bear it to dark Calvary.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              In the old rugged cross ,stained with blood so divine,                                                                              a wondrous beauty I see;                                                                                                                            For ' twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died                                                                                  to pardon and sanctify me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,                                                                                                 Its shame and reproach gladly bear;                                                                                                           Then He'll call me some day to my home far away,                                                                                  When His glory for ever I'll share.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 So I 'll cherish the old rugged cross,                                                                                                         Till my trophies, at last I lay down;                                                                                                            I will cling to the old rugged cross,                                                                                                            and exchange it some day for a crown.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              (  Words, George Benhard )

Self . ( Galatians 2 v 20 )

An Olympian athlete was devastated when she discovered she was pregnant. As an athlete, she is by her own admission,''selfish'',but with her first child due in August,soon she won't be able to put herself first. So read the article,I found it interesting and challenging, it is Selwyn Hughes who write about the problem  of self in one of his daily readings.Self,self, self, it read and he quoted 2 Cor 4 v 15,  ''And He died for all,that those who live should no linger live for themselves,but for Him who died for them''.I will share a few things that he wrote,'' Human fallenness  is basically human selfishness'',''In the centre of the word 'Sin',is the letter 'I''.'''Self in our hands is a pain; in God's hands  it is a possibility''.                                                                                                                                                                                             Matthew 22 v 36 - 40                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Teacher which is the greatest commandment in                                                                                          the law.Jesus replied; 'Love the Lord your God                                                                                        with all your heart and with all your soul and                                                                                            with all your mind. This is first and greatest                                                                                              commandment. And the second is like it; Love                                                                                        your neighbour as yourself'.All the law and the                                                                                        prophets hang on these two commandments.''

Power ( Isaiah 61 v 1 )

As I was walking I saw a lady smoking, and I said in a friendly way ,you know smoking is bad for you,of course I was not condemning her,as an ex-smoker I realise that it is hard to give up smoking.Then I mentioned it was my 75th birthday..I told her that I had started smoking when I was very young.I mentioned to her that the Principal of my school caught my friend and I smoking ,when we were walking to school.So when we arrived in school we were summonsed to his office and were caned,after he had given us a lecture Then I told her something else ,that 55 years ago, I came to the Lord Jesus, and from then on I quit smoking and drinking for good. The wonder of coming to the Lord Jesus, is not only do we receive forgiveness of all our sins,we also receive power to overcome our sins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Jesus .                                                                                                                                         He sets the prisoner free                                 

Need ( Jeremiah 5 - 30 - 31 )

A verse I have often claimed is Philippians 4 v 19,which reads,''And my God will meet all your needs according to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus''. We relate this as it says our needs materially,and rightly so,and many Christians have received great encouragement, from this wonderful promise. Now let me look at this promise in relation to preaching,for the responsibility of every preacher is to preach faithfully whatever God wants them to say. In other not what they want to hear but what they need to hear. So many preachers prophets have paid a price for simply preaching  what people need to hear. Leon Morris writes, 'The  Christian preacher is always tempted to accommodate his message to the desires of his hearers.'' I do not get preaching in a particular church because I believe in hell,I believe people need to be saved,that is why Christ came, to save.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jeremiah  6 v 14.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ''They dress the wound of my people as through                                                                                        it were not serious. ' Peace, peace,' they say, when                                                                                    there is no peace''.                                                                             

Accepted by God. ( Philippians 3 v 1 - 9 )

No one is perfect,no one, I never will be,but through my Saviour I am accepted perfectly ,my righteousness is to say the least ,flawed.So God who is all wise devised a way in which one could receive a righteousness that allowed a person,entrance into His presence. If one goes to the book of Philippians chapter 3,we read of a man who tells us two things. One, there was a time in his life that he thought that he could be accepted by God,through religious observance,or on the bases of his nationality, he was a Jew. But he made a very important discovery,it was all rubbish, So there he was a reject,until God intervened , and revealed the second thing, which is, well here is what he discovered .                                                                                                                                                                                                          Philippians 3 v 9                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the                                                             law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.

Judging others. ( Matthew 7 v 1 - 5 )

Again referring to Melanie's book,'The world I fell out of'', she writes, '' I was learning to reassess everything. Passing judgement of any kind was suddenly a dangerous thing to do''. She further goes on to say,''Who am I to judge?''.Yes judging people can be  very dangerous ,especially if we pass that judgment unto other people,in doing so we are influencing others against that person. Our perfect Saviour stressed the importance of not judging other's ,if we do, it will come back to hunt us.Yes we have to make judgments as to right and wrong,but we must be careful of taking the high moral ground.                                                                                                                                                                                                              Philippians 2 v 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ''Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,                                                                                   but in humility consider others better than yourselves.