Come follow Me ( Acts 16 v 9 - 10 )

 The word of God encourages us to wait and rightly so,Abraham had to wait a long time before he received the promised son. Sometimes we have to wait for our prayers to be answered,we are told that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.Think about prophecies ,and how long it was before they were fulfilled, yet they were fulfilled, in God's time. But it is not all about waiting, God also wants us to move at his bidding,and stop  trailing our feet,he wants at all times obedience,and that could be immediate obedience..In Hebrews 11 v 8, we read,'By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; that he went out , not knowing where he was to go'.One of the ancient writers  wrote,'Abraham  departed the moment he was bidden'. No holding back  ,and Westcott wrote,''While ( so to say ) it was still  sounding in his ear''When our Saviour said to Simon and Andrew,'' Come follow Me,they at once left their net,and followed Him.  ( Mark 1 v 17 -  18).There was no dithering ,no hanging back, they just obeyed. Things have not changed God still speaks to us,and at times he expects obedience,at once.He still says ,'Come follow me'

Different ( Romans 12 v 1 - 2 )

 John Stott wrote, 'The followers of  Jesus are to be different- different from both the nominal church and the secular world,different from both the religious , and the irreligious'. I wonder what you make of  that,I once started to wear a bow  tie, very few people wear bow ties ,I didn't do it to be different, I know some people thought it was funny, I felt a bit uncomfortable with that.Then I felt I should wear a little cross, it seemed to me an innocent thing to do, but some Christians didn't think so. When Jesus says to us, follow Me,it brings a challenge, to be holy, in other words,our lives our consecrated to God.we become temples wherein God dwells. Romans 12 v 2 reads,'Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind'.When we become Christians we bring with us a lot of  sinful rubbish in our minds,things need to change..The rest of the verse reads,'then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good,pleasing and perfect will'.Unlike the non-Christian we are to be focused on God's will for our lives.As John Stott points out,' These two value systems (this world and God's will) are incompatible,even in direct collision with one another'.Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you should be different

He is infinite. ( Romans 8 v 28 / 37 - 39 )

Returning to C.H.Spurgeon ,it is pointed out  that from the age of 35 he was out of the pulpit from one- third of the time either in pain, sickness, or convalescing.In January 1856 he preached a sermon as regards, God teaching his people every day by sickness, by depression of spirit,by the forsaking of God,by the loss of the Spirit for a season, by the lackings of the joys of his countenance, that he is God,and that beside him there is no one else' He later said,''Laid aside . Why?'' he believed that we can ask God questions,if we do without murmuring. As discerning God's motives, he said,''Happily for us our happiness does not depend upon our understanding the providence of God,and the Christian is able to believe even when he is not able to explain , and is content to leave all to the wisdom and goodness of his heavenly Father''One of my favourite hymns was written by William Cowper who suffered from mental illness ,mainly of a depressive nature, is, ' God moves in mysterious ways,' it is important to remember that,we who are finite will never fully understand Him who is infinite,and his ways are way beyond our understanding,yet we can trust our God whose way is perfect,and  rest in this wonderful truth,that He loves us.

Scripture Alone ( Acts 17 v 10 - 12 )

 One of the most popular ministers in the 19th century was a Baptist preacher called  Charles Haddon Spurgeon, his popularity was world wide, Many preachers would love to have such a popular ministry,as one listens to some preachers especially in America ,with their mega gatherings ,one would wish that they were not so popular,in their dubious teaching,and their graving after material gain, and as one observes the vast numbers attending their gatherings it is sad that they appear so gullible,with no real spiritual discernment..It appears the easy way out ,not to think, to not search the scriptures.It is not a new thing ,millions in their ignorance have let their church do their thinking for them,believing that their church knows best,all they have to do is go along with what their church teaches, and they will go to heaven,of course there is always the threat hanging over them, if they don't, then they will be lost..The reformation began when godly men started to read the scriptures,the result was they saw that what their church was teaching was contrary to Gods word. One the cries of the reformation was ,'Scripture Alone',when preachers start saying things that are not in the word of God,or that are contrary to Gods word,beware, it is time to speak out ,and get out.,for they are destroying the very foundation of our faith.

Preparation ( 1 Timothy 4 v 15 - 16 )

 A friend of the family is doing some decorating for us,as I watched him at work, I was impressed by the  preparation he did..As a preacher I realise more and more the importance of  sermon preparation,good sermons  don't just happen.Before David became the shepherd King of Israel ,he was a shepherd of  sheep, that was God's preparation.God does prepare us for whatever role he has called us to do,but that does not mean we have nothing to do.Gold medal winners, don't just happen, if  God has given you a gift then he wants and requires you to develop that gift, that means hard work. Marriage  I believe is a gift from God ,but we must work at it continually,so many people don't take into consideration the challenge of marriage, the hard work it entails to make a marriage work. It is only in fairy tales that people live happy ever after,remember a marriage will struggle to survive if  husband and wife don't work together,  God is there to help us,if we are willing to seek his help.Now lets consider preparation in relation to our spiritual well being, for we who are Christians .Let me ask you a question,what preparation should we make as we face each  day?,the world rushes on,but we need to pray,we need to read God's word,we need to remember the words of our Saviour that without him we can do nothing, for we are not just living a life, we are called to live a Christ like life.

Faith or ( Hebrews 11 v 6 )

 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ( Hebrews 1 v  3 )Let me ask you is God an evolutionist? ,the answer is simple, no He created.Then the cry goes up even by so called Christians ,but the scientist  say,but have you ever considered that those same scientist  deny the existence of God. Let us consider what L.d'Etaples has to say, in which he contrasts ,faith and human reasoning,' Reason does not attain to faith, but grace, which is superior to reason, provides it. What reason provides is , moreover,obscure and weak;  whereas  what grace affords is clear and strong; and so the trusting man of faith commits himself  to God, not to his own reason,to divine truth, not to the possibility of his own cleverness, and his position is spacious, not narrow. He who is  unwilling to leave behind the possibility of his own reason encloses himself in a dark and confining prison where the sun of grace does not shine and  life- giving faith is not found. O ' divine faith , wonderful foundation of life, strong support of hope, anchor of devotion and shining cord extended from heaven, seizing which we climb to him who is above and beyond all altitude.'

The wow factor. ( John 4 v 1 - 26 )

 The only time I have seen the Grand Canyon is on the TV ,or in the movies, it is situated in N. Arizona,it is over 200 miles long,and is about a mile deep, the Colorado river runs along its base. I have a friend who visited the canyon,seemingly there are platforms that take one right out over the canyon.My friend shared his experience, as he walked unto one of the platforms,he felt a wow factor,it was amazing..So he walked along and walked out on another platform, felt it was great,I cannot remember how many more platforms he went out on,but by the time he got to the last one,the wow factor had gone.There are so many things like that,when we purchase a car,or we see some new technology, or  some scientific discover. Children soon discard their toys, the wow factor soon goes,the greatest example of a person loosing the wow factor, is found in the book of Ecclesiastes.The book is about a King  who tried everything, I mean everything,and all he ends up saying,''everything was meaningless''.A certain footballer said there is only so many watches one can buy,why is mankind always chasing after that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?,the truth is this ,if they found it , it would soon loose the wow factor. In John 4 our Saviour spoke to a women who came to a well to draw water ,He said to her,whoever drinks of the water from that well would thirst again,but whoever drinks the water I  give them will never thirst.  Are you thirsty?have you discovered that the wow factor is gone from your life?, 56 yrs ago Christ changed my ,like many there was a deep longing  that the things of this world could not satisfy. 'O Christ in Thee my soul has hath found, and found in Thee alone. The peace ,the joy I sought so long, the bliss till now unknown. Now none but Christ can satisfy,none other name for me; There's love  and life and lasting joy,Lord Jesus ,found in Thee'