Now it is permanent. ( Matthew 18 v 3 )

I read of a boy who acquired a Bible ,he read it mostly in secret,he kept it hidden in a brown paper  cover so no one would know what he was reading.But he read it a lot and would  mark some passages that impressed him,and moved him.Years later as a man he comes across this Bible among his books and notes how crumbled and torn it was,and how the worst ravages are in the passages relating to the Passion- there,stains that might be from tears. I often think we underestimate young peoples desire for God,after all does not our blessed Saviour tell us that we need to become as little children. Looking back in my life as very young  boy, I had a spiritual experience when  I realised that God was my Father,then at a children's meeting staying behind  and asking Christ as my Saviour. Looking back ,I at times connected with God although not on a permanent bases,one wishes that it had been more permanent. If only, but one cannot change the past,with all it flaws and so many things that make me  ashamed,but I believe that something of those spiritual encounters remained with me,until one Sunday evening 56 years ago I came into ongoing permanent relationship with my heavenly Father through Christ my lovely Saviour.

Yesterday ( Psalm 147 v 3 )

I  wrote this little poem,don't be to hard on me,or to critical ,so hear goes, ' I love you less today,Than the love of yesterday,I love you less today,For love has ebbed away. I loved you more yesterday,Now I'm poorer than yesterday,So sad to loose the love of yesterday,And all because I love you less, than the love of yesterday'.There was a time when divorce was rare,but not now it appears that people are falling out of love more often.Nat King Cole sung a lovely song,the first verse goes,'When I fall in love,it will be forever. In a restless world like this is.Love is ended before it's begun.And to many moonlight kisses. Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun'. I  suppose those two things I have written, sum up life for many,why?,it is the human situation,we live in a broken world,people are crying out for love, and to be loved. Is there an answer ?,yes ,so were do we start?,we can start with one who knows us, God.  Consider when I speak of God, I am talking about the God of love. He knows that we are broken,He knows everything,and through Christ He offers us love,yes we can stay the way we are,it is our choice. Why not ask Him into your life and accept Christ as your Saviour. Then God becomes your loving heavenly Father, He will love you,that does not mean that He will accept everything you do,He will, as all loving Fathers do ,chastise you,He will be with you in every trial ,He will be near you at all times,when you pray He will listen,and answer,in a way that is best.You will always be loved even in your failures,and your successes .Look at the cross, see Jesus dying for sinners,that's means you and me,that is the extent of Gods love, for us all ,we broken things.

Trust ( Joshua 1 v 9 )

One of the most precious things in any relationship is trust,a child automatically trusts its parents, but when a parent abuses that trust,it can affect a child for the rest of their lives. Many marriages end because trust has been broken by the wife or husband,some marriages survive ,but it is hard to win back that trust .When a promise is broken, things can fall apart, yes trust is important,in any relationship When it comes to our relationship with God ,trust is vital, I know I can trust God,he will never let me down. When difficulties arise the most important thing is to trust in the Lord,though your heart may be pounding,  and you can't sleep,we are called to trust him,to trust Him when the way is dark, when you don't know which way to go,or what to do,it is then that we are called to trust Him whatever we are facing.Here is the important thing we need to remind ourselves , that God can be trusted, nothing can  stop him,from keeping his word.Hear is a prayer  ,'Dear loving heavenly father ,my heart is weak, help me to trust you,my heart is full of fear,help me to trust you, as I look back,I thank you ,that you have never failed me,and I praise you, that you never will ,in Jesus name I ask this Amen.'

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.'