Love ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 1 - 8 )

If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but do not have love. I am only a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If  I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I  have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If  I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I  may boast, but do not have love,I gain nothing. Love is patient,love is kind,it does not envy, it does not boast,it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking ,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always  perseveres. Love never fails.

Evolution the lie. ( John 3 v 16 )

H.G.Wells interpreted the past as an evolutionary march towards freedom and enlighten commenting  on this Philip Yancey said,'a view  of that century would do much to refute'. Many wonderful changes have taken place in so many areas of life,in medicine,in living standards { for many,myself included )Yet the nature of man has not changed, there always appears to be some threat hanging over mankind, wars are still raging,injustice in many areas of the world abound,sexual deviance has not gone away, addiction of one sort or another has not gone away,false religions are still around,causing so much pain to those in them,and to those who are not. Mankind is capable of much good,but also of so much evil,if God removed His restraining power from humankind, I can assure you life would be unlivable..God has not forsaken this world, with Him there is a future, there is hope, there is a way forward,and for sinful humanity ,the way starts at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sugar ( John 8 v 34 - 36 )

One day a lady came to Gandhi with her son,and asked him to tell the child to stop eating sugar, because it was bad for him.She said the child would not listen to her, but would listen to Gandhi. Bring him back in a week ,and I will tell him. A week later the woman returned with her son,Gandhi  took the boy in his arms,and told him not to eat any more sugar,then bid them goodbye. Before they left the mother asked a question, why did you have us wait a week,could you not have told him last week, 'No',he replied. 'Last week I myself was eating sugar.'  Many years ago I used to smoke I know how hard it is to quit smoking, but  it can be done, tor me it was when I came back to the Lord, Let me tell you when Christ forgives He also empowers us and enables us to be free.

Two . ( James 1 v 17 )

I wonder what you think of this short prayer by G.K .Chesterton. ,'Here dies another day,during which I have had, eyes,ears,hands,and the great world around me;. And with tomorrow begins another. why am I allowed two'.?.  Why indeed, after all I am entitled ,to two eyes,two ears,two hands' or am I .Let us all stop and thank God for the two.or let us all praise God for all his blessing. Everything we have comes from God.We owe Him everything,everything,everything. 'Dear God ,thank you for every blessing,in Jesus Name Amen.'

How. ( Proverbs 3 v 5 - 6 )

.In John 3 a very religious person came to see Jesus,he was a  man called Nicodemus, he belonged to the very strict group of people called the Pharisees, and they were part of the ruling class in Israel.He wanted to know more about Jesus,but he it did in secret visiting him at night.He  acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher,that means one who taught the things of God to the people,an expert in the religious law.Now  one of the the first things Jesus said was,that a person needs to be born again,and as he listened ,he used the word how  twice..Jesus said to him ,''you are Israel's teacher.. and you do not understand these things?''.It stuck me that 'how', is very important to so many people , take the J Ws ,when one tells them a spiritual truth , they say how this and how that ,the fact is they have no spiritual understanding,they have not got the Holy Spirit within them. To them the trinity does not make sense,and they do what natural man will do ,lean upon there own understanding.If we are gong to know God we have to nail our ,'How's ', to the cross,and by faith accept Christ as ones Saviour,then everything will become clear,you see, faith is beyond reason.

Something Happened. ( Matthew 17 v 20 - 21 )

So continuing on looking at a lady in dire straits ,no money,no healing, and yet something happened,she heard about Jesus, and the wonderful miracles He performed. So hope arose within her heart, and so she made her way towards were he was, and when she got there a vast crowd was there.But she was desperate,and she thought,if I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.( Matthew 9 v 21 ), and she did just that, and she was healed. At this Jesus spoke to his disciples ,,'Who touched me?',when it was pointed to him that many people had touched him,because of the vast crowd. Jesus insisted that power had gone out of him. The woman could no longer go unnoticed, made her way to Jesus, trembling and fell at his feet,told him why she had touched him,and that she had been healed. He spoke to her and said ,''Daughter your faith has healed you.'' ''Go in peace''. What is God saying to you,as you read this story,?.Let me remind you that Jesus is the same today as he was then,and faith in Him can transform your life no matter  how desperate your situation, something can happen.

Nothing happened. ( Psalm 40 v 1 )

I am sure we have all been crushed  in a crowd, now Jesus was popular and thousands of people came to hear him,came to be healed. In Luke 8 v 43 ff. we read of a lady who had suffered  for 12 years from a certain complaint,she was subject to bleeding. According to Leviticus 15 v 19 - 33,she was considered ceremonially unclean,so this had a profound effect on her life. In Mark 5 v 24   we read, 'she had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had,yet instead of getting better she grew worse'.This lady had not the benefit of our medical profession and by the sound of it she must have endured a great deal in her desire to be healed,and now she was penniless.I am sure she prayed every day,but nothing happened.. We will continue with this tomorrow,remember it is always darkest before the dawn.