Is that all there is? ( 1 Corinthians 2 v 9 )

I think that time is one of the most deceptive aspects of life, especially in relation to age, not so long ago I was taken by surprise when my first grandson informed us that he was getting married. With age we change ,old father time,keeps marching on.And no matter how much we try, we can do nothing about it, The young Bill becomes the old Bill',time like an ever- rolling stream, bears all its sons away', the old man in the mirror ,you realise is you.The world of science cannot stop it,the plastic surgeon can only cut away so much,and old skin especially the skin on the back of the hands,tell their own story From dust we came ,to dust we will return, one could ask the question,is that it?,at one level yes,but at another level the future can be bright. Sin has  affected all humanity ,but there is one who said that for all who trust Him, as their Saviour,all things will  become new,we will have a new body, a new home,a wonderful existence,were God will be in the midst.We will never again feel lonely,or hear bad news,no more coronavirus, malaria, cancer.a place of perfect harmony,  peace,and happiness.,and a place of total fulfillment, and time will cease to be.

Rubbish ( 1 John 1 v 9 )

I love my little garden, it is just the right size for me,here in the UK we have had about two months of sunny weather, which means I have had the pleasure of working in my garden. I water and cut my lawn regularly ,but one thing I have not done for many years,is get rid of the dead grass and rubbish that hinders the grass growing..There is a garden tool, I think it is called a comb,and you pull it over the lawn and rake up the rubbish, but it is hard work. I have a friend called Richard and he has a garden tool called a Scarifier ,and it works by electric,and it its very effective ,in raking the lawn. So like  a good friend he loaned me it,and I used it,and it was amazing the rubbish it racked up.The thought struck me, that often our lives are like my lawn,they need a good raking to get rid of the rubbish that we let accumulate in our lives over the years,.One has said that the Christian life is one of daily repentance ,attitudes of bitterness, a spirit of unforgiveness ,covetousness,which means an inordinate desire for wealth and possessions,the word of God links it with wanting what another has. It is so easy to accumulate so much rubbish ,we are all the same,lets get rid of the rubbish.Here is a prayer we can all pray, 'Dear Holy Spirit search me,reveal to me the rubbish in my life,and enable me by your grace, to repent ,and in Thy mercy forgive me in Jesus name Amen.'

What can we do? ( 1 Kings 18 v 22 - 39 )

In Numbers 16 we read how the people rose in opposition to Moses and Aaron because God had punished those of the family of  Korah, for their rebellion.Now they were doing the self same thing., God was angry with them,and He told Moses He was going to deal with them,So He sent a plague upon them, Moses  told Aaron to take a censer ,put incense on it ,and burning coals from of the altar, and take it into the midst of the people.Thousands were dying ,Aaron did this and we read,'He stood between the living and the dead,and the plague stopped,14,700 had died of the plague.We are all living under the threat of a plague why it has come I don't know, God alone knows ,as Christians what can we do?. In Revelation 8 we read of an angel who had a censer with incense on it ,and we read that Gods people were praying ,and that the prayers of God's people,and the smoke of the incense ascended up to God, and then fire was cast down upon the earth.Torrance comments on this,'What are the real master - powers behind the world and what are the deeper secrets of our destiny? Here is  the astonishing answer; the prayer of the saints and the fire of God. That means that more potent, more powerful than all the dark and mighty powers let loose in the earth,is the power of prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth' What can we do ,we can pray,and pray ,and pray.

That's the way God wants it to be. ( Matthew 5 v 43 - 48 )

I heard a song by Billy Preston called,'That's the way God planned it',it struck a cord with me,the next line in the song goes,'That's the way God wants it to be'.It touches on humility,helping each other, Our Saviour put this challenge out to those who follow Him,that they should love their enemies and pray for for those who persecute them. He told them how God blessed both the good and the bad ,and so should they..The love Jesus is speaking of ,was agape love,  William Barclay comments on this ,he writes',It means that no matter how they treat us,no matter if they insult us or injure us or grieve us,we will never allow any bitterness against them to invade our hearts,but will regard them with that unconquerable benevolence and goodwill which will seek nothing but their highest good',This is a different kind of love, that we would have for our nearest and dearest,nor should we allow them to do absolutely what they like .' Jesus then told his followers ,'Be perfect ,therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect'.again W. Barclay on the Greek word for perfect,that it describes a thing that is perfect if it achieves the purpose for which they were created for'.That's the way God planned it,That's the way God wants it to be.'

Eros. ( Exodus 20 v 14 )

There are different sayings as to the word love,'Love makes the world go round', 'Love is blind',and there is a saying by William Thackeray which reads,'Love makes fools of us all,big and small'. There are a number of words in the Greek language for love ,one is Eros,it has the meaning of a sensual,even erotic sexual love.There was a mighty King,he was brave and handsome,being a king in those days,you could have as many wives as you wanted,and he had many. If he saw a woman he fancied, he took her,she became part of his harem,but it was not enough for him,the fact is for many it is not enough. So it is, they  turn to all sorts of  things ,to satisfy their unquenchable desire for sex,the thing is, if it gets to that state,it never will be satisfied.Well let us return to this mighty king,the king who had everything,good looks,etc,etc,one evening he was in his palace,it was warm ,he could not sleep,so he got up from his bed and walked around the roof of his palace.As he looked out, he spied a beautiful woman,  she was washing herself.,remember he was king all powerful,and for a moment he choose to forget,that with power comes responsibility,and accountability. He found out who she was,a married woman,that should have caused him to put the brakes on ,but Eros had got hold of him .What followed ,an evening of dissatisfaction,and dreadful consequences. Let us all learn from this true story,and yet it is ,if truth were told that many, sad to say are following in that kings footsteps,and finding to their cost,that there are no freebies,because sin, and that's what it was, has always a price tag attached to it.

No other message. ( Romans 1 v 16 )

In Romans 15 v 15- 16,Paul writes ,that by Gods grace he had been given a ministry, to non-Jews,it is Leon Morris who points out, that it speaks of a definite time,and that time would be, that of his call to be an apostle.I cannot remember a definite time but I do remember an awareness of Gods call to be a preacher. It is not something one takes on lightly, it  has an awesome responsibility to it, and indeed a dreadful accountability attached to it.( Ezekiel 3 v 18 ).Many present day ministers will bear their heads in shame, in a coming time,I hope I will not be one of them.Going back to Paul he writes in v 16,that God give him the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God.Leon Morris writes,'It is a striking way of affirming that  the proclamation of the gospel is a solemn and sacred act.'The gospel is the most important message in all the history of mankind,people write books on great historical speeches,they have their place,but they fade in the light of the gospel.We honour the great writers like William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens ,but nothing they wrote can compare to the amazing and wondrous message of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. No other message be it religious or non-religious has such a message , that sin can be forgiven ,that we sinners can be made right with God,that we can  receive  eternal life,and be saved from the wrath to come.

The greater good. ( John 15 v 13 )

One of the most influential books ever written was ,'The Prince',written by Niccolo Machiavelli,,it is not a long book,but it has been read by strategists,politicians, and business people.Stalin carried a copy,the book seeks to show  how should a ruler rule to be  successful.,and the main thrust of the book is summed  up in the following words,'The greater good'.In chap 17 , of his book Machiavelli seeks to answer the question' as regards cruelty and clemency and whether it is better to be loved or feared' .His conclusion was that it was far safer to be feared than loved.believing if they feared they you,they would be less willing to turn against you.But stresses that they the rulers,should not cause his subjects  to hate him. For many who say they are Machiavellian,that is, acting out the greater good,like Stalin ,who carried out abominable evils ,and was extremely cruel.I supposed Hitler believed that he was acting for the greater good when millions of people were exterminated.There is another saying,which goes,'you have to be cruel to be kind',I suppose one could add to that,because it is for the greater good. Cruelty is never acceptable,no matter if you are a strategists, politician ,business person,a teacher,a parent.,an animal trainer.The  greatest ruler who ever lived,died on a cross, because of His love,for humanity,and for their greatest good,his name was Jesus.