We do not know whats best. ( Romans 8 v 26 -27 )

Yesterday we sought to stress the importance of the will of God when we pray for certain things,this is  is not meant to discourage us as regards making requests to God.In fact the word of God tells us clearly to let our requests be made unto God  ( Philippians  4 v 6 )We are all familiar with the words of the Lords prayer it has requests ( Matthew 6 v 11 - 12 ). We are encouraged to ask....for everyone who asks receives (  Matthew 7 v 7 - 8 ).So there is an assurance given that we can ask and our prayers will be answered.But let us return to the words in 1 John 5 v 14 ,were we have the words ,'according to  his will'. Barnes .writes the following on these words,'This expression must limit the answer to prayer, to what he sees as best for us. Of that we are not always good judges.rightly so,as we read in Romans 8 v 26 that we do not know what we ought to pray. But we are reassured that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. He the Holy Spirit knows what is best for us ,He will as it were translate our prayers to God for us.

Amazing ( John 1 v 9 - 13 )

Galatians 3 v 26 reads,'You are all sons of God through faith in  Christ Jesus'. what wonderful words,yet it raises the sad fact ,that many believe they are sons of God who have never put their faith in Christ Jesus.They believe that they are in the family of God but they are not,they are in the family of mankind, but that is all.John writes the following,'Behold what manner of love the Father hath the bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God'  (  1 John 3 v 1 ) In these words uttered by John there seems to me a sense of  amazement ,and rightly so,of all the experiences one may ever , come into this is it. Nothing can come close to this wonderful experience,that of knowing you are a child of the living God. It means we have a loving heavenly Father,we can pray with confidence,and rejoice, He  loves us eternally, and loves us continually.It is all possible because of Jesus,who death   removed the barrier that separated us from knowing God as a Father, that barrier was our sin.When we trust Jesus our sins are forgiven and we are welcomed into the family of God.

Less we forget ( John 3 v 16 )

Presents,food ,drink,one can be cynical of much that goes on at Christmas, in a world were many are so needy,and yet it does encourage many to help those in need..The church that I attend raised money that will go to  a children's mission to buy shoes, for children.Their is an increase awareness as regards the homeless ,yes there is over indulgence ,by most of us,but most people are to a degree more generous, which cant be a bad thing.Yes it  gives us who are Christmas an opportunity to remind the world about a special child ,called Jesus. This child would grow up with a special mission in mind, for He knew why He had come, to save people from their sins.We move away from the secondary things to the reality that we are sinners, and our greatest need is to have our sins forgiven. May we who Christians never loose sight of this ,not just at Christmas, but everyday we live,that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  ( John 3 v 16 )

Our chief end. ( Romans 8 v 18 )

I read the following in a devotional called ,Streams in the Desert', by L.B.Cowman.When Dr Moore ,of Brighton ,England, was suddenly struck down with blindness, he said,''Lord ,I accept this 'talent  ' of blindness  from You. Help me to use it for your glory so that when You return , you may receive it 'back with interest' ( Matt 25 v 27 )'' Then God enabled him to invent the Moon Alphabet for the blind, through which thousands of blind people were enabled to read the word of God and thereby come to the glorious saving knowledge of Christ'

Our chief end. ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 1 - 10 )

I wonder have you ever thought about the apostle and the thorn in the flesh,which he had to live with,even though he prayed,and prayed,and prayed,for God to remove it.Many Christians gloss over this ,it does not fit in with,their not so balanced views,on healing. The fact is few people are healed and the many have to accept,accept what?, Gods will.Read the life of Fanny Crosby,the blind hymn writer,blinded by a doctor's mistake, it was obvious that she was not bitter,instead she used her God given talent of hymn writing to bless others,and glorify God.It is said that our chief end is to glorify God,and enjoy Him for ever. The one who glorified God the most, was Jesus and that was from a cross.

If it be ( Luke 22 v 42 )

I want you to consider the following words from Johns epistle, 'This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know know that we have what we asked of him.' ( 1 John 5 v 14 - 15 ) Now my own experience is ,God has answered many prayers for me,many, but if I was being truthful there are prayers that he has not answered.I am sure most of us can say that,these words from 1 John,underline something that is very important the will of God.Often if we are truthful we are not sure what the will of God is,but we pray for healing,for the removing of a thorn in the flesh,and it does not happen, why ? ,because it is not Gods will. We cannot make things happen if it is not Gods will, it is when we bow before God and pray to save us from whatever,let us remember what our Saviour prayed,'' Father, if you are willing , take this cup from Me, yet not my will , but yours be done''.

Losers. ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 26 - 31 )

Derek Tidball writing about Peter's  failure when he did the one thing he said he would never do,that of denying his Lord ,says this,'Peter's failure was precisely God's opportunity. It shattered his illusion about himself, and the way he would have liked others to think of him, there was no better place than on the way to the cross.....as the cross always does, for it' forces us to see ourselves as we really are, not as we would like to be seen'. The cross demonstrates that only losers  succeed in Christ's kingdom.'  DT  goes on to say,' In order to lead, one has to have confidence in Christ and His word, not in oneself and ones abilities'