Persevere (Luke 18 v 1 )

Let us consider, 'Persevering in Prayer.', the meaning of persevering is, continuing  on in a course of action even though it is difficult. Sir Harry Lauder wrote a song after the death of his son in the 1st world war,here are some of the words,

                                         Keep right on to the end of the road,

                                         Keep right on to the end,

                                         Tho the way be long,let your heart be strong.

                                         Keep right on round the bend,

                                         Tho your tired and weary, still journey on,

                                         Till you come to your happy abode.'

In a way that's the challenge of the Christian life,going on,sadly not all do  , some have fallen by the wayside.That which will enable us to go on, is prayer,it is vital that we persevere in prayer in the good times and the bad times,Jesus knew how hard that would be for us,the way can be hard,but the way also can be soft,and we neglect prayer,so gradually we stop praying,we think that we don't need Him.If only we would realise how much we need Him ,and how vital it is to persevere in prayer.

Make time. ( 1) ( Ephesians 6 v 18 )

 I just want to encourage you with a few thoughts on prayer,

                                             ( 1 ) Make time for prayer.

We live in a very busy world,it is easy in spite of our good intentions,for prayer to be neglected,one of the reasons  I rise early,I know how easily it is for the activities of the day to take over.We read how our Lord at times spent time apart from His disciples ,in order to pray . (Mark 6 v 46) . In Mark 1 v 35 ,we read,'Very early in the morning, while it was dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed'.Although He was the Son of God, he was also the Son of Man, crushed with his  many duties, the multitudes pressing in,wanting ,wanting,the disciples needing needing,and under attack  continually,He needed to pray,He needed to be refreshed and strengthened in the presence of His Father in heaven.If He needed to pray,how much more do we need to spend time with our heavenly Father in prayer.

                                                       Words by Cleland Boyd Mc Fee.

                                                       There is a place of quite rest,

                                                       Near to the heart of God,

                                                       A place where sin cannot molest,

                                                       Near to the heart of God.

                                                       Hold us who wait before Thee,

                                                       Near to the heart of God.

Weak faith.(Mark 7 v 14 - 19 )

I was speaking to my wife and I used an inappropriate word, when she pointed this out to me as wives do,I felt convicted.This was not a swear word but I acknowledged it before asking forgiveness.There are words and actions that are not blatantly sinful,but they can be inappropriate.I remember passing a married couple I know, while out walking, on reflection I felt that I was brisk with them,I felt convicted, and called round to their home and said I was sorry. We should not become paranoid about this, but let us be careful, as to how we speak,and how we act. In Romans 14 the Apostle Paul writes about those who are weak in faith,in relation to what they eat,a Jewish convert may be offended if they saw another Christian eating pork.Now as Christians we can eat all food we are not under the old covenant,that is the Jewish food laws,in Mark 7 v19  Jesus said  that all foods are clean. This is further spelled out in 1 Timothy 4 v 1- 5.In  Romans 14 the apostle makes it clear we are not tied to what we eat, he brings it down to a matter of faith.But as Paul says ,''All food is clean'',but it is wrong to eat something ,if it makes another person stumble''.This would apply when you are in contact with others who have not the faith that you have,as regards eating.We are being asked to be sensitive n relation to others,in all things,in case we cause them to stumble.

Who am I ?. ( John 3 v 16 )

                                            Who am I ?That You would think of me

                                            Among a million stars shining in the night

                                            Who an I ?That You  would call me yours.

                                             And offer up your  all, to save my life,

                                                           Who am I?.

                                                         Words  Lincoln Brewster.

These struck a cord with me,'Who am I ? the writer is surprised that God  had him on His radar,among the vastness of the universe. God's interest as regards man has never waned from the moment He created us, but our interest in Him, has continually waned. Mankind have continually searched the universe not looking for God,but for reasons to deny the person of God the creator.Because mankind is blinded to the reality of God, but God is not blinded to the reality of man.His eye is upon every single human being.God thinks upon then,looks upon them. But it does not stop there, for the writer declares,'Who am I ? That You would call me yours,and offer up your all, to save my life'. Why?,oh why should God do this?, why did He not leave us to ourselves?,if  He had it would been just a matter of time we would have destroyed ourselves, ,yes a real possibility,and yet that would have not been the end of it,for the eternal hell beckons. God was not prepared to let that happen ,He loves us,that in itself is amazing ,and out of that love, He offered up His all, in the person of Jesus, too save us ,amazing.

Tomorrow. ( John 14 v 1- 6 )

 A.W.Pink said,'Remember dear reader that tomorrow will bring with it tomorrows God'. the word of God says we do not know what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27 v 1 ).Humanity knows a lot of things ,but they also don't know for certain, what life really holds for them.That sure certainty may turn out to be the biggest flop,that perceived looser may become the the greatest winner.You may loose your job ,uncertainty, is the name of the game , and yet life is not a game. Woody Allen who is an atheist said''The universe  is indifferent, so we create a fake world for ourselves,and we exist within that fake world,a world that in fact means nothing at all, when we step back, it is meaningless''. Now that's a happy thought, poor Woody,all his tomorrows are meaningless,as far as the atheist is concerned your on own,no hope,no help.because he is without God . Ephesians2 v12. Faith makes the difference,but not just faith , but faith in the historical Jesus,the Biblical Jesus.The only one ,who when we trust Him , forgives us,and brings us to the God of all hope. He is the God who is with us today ,tomorrow, and all our tomorrows,we are not alone.Eternity for  the Christian is not a black hole of nothingness, no,it will be a place of everlasting joy,peace,love,and happiness,what a wonderful tomorrow we will have.

A mothers request ( Romans 1 v1 / 2 Timothy 2 v 3 )

 In Matthew 20 v 20 - 28, the mother of James and John   knelt before Jesus and asked,that her sons be granted the pre-eminent position in His kingdom. Her request was not granted, Jesus told her why,then he went on to clarify how one achieves true greatness in His kingdom. Jesus asked John and Peter where they willing to drink the cup that He was going to drink?,they said they were.The cup that Jesus spoke of ,was the suffering that He was going to experience. The other disciples were angry at what Peter and  John asked even though they were guilty of the same thing. CP Mark 9 v 33 - 34.Jesus goes on to explain to then where true greatness lies in God's kingdom,being a servant, and suffering .He summed it up with the following words of v 28 'Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many'.These words summed up Christ ministry ,serving and suffering,and this is the path we who go under the name Christian are called to take.Consider serving,what does that mean? it is not about sitting giving orders,and being bossy,its doing what needs to be done, in the fellowship,in the home,and in the world. It involves suffering , the Church of Christ in many countries, is suffering greatly for our dear Saviour. Isaac Watts wrote that wonderful hymn,'Am I a soldier of the cross', here are two verses from it.

                                                     Must I be carried to the skies

                                                     On flowery beds of ease,

                                                     While others fought to in the prise

                                                      And sailed through bloody seas?

                                                      Since I must fight if I would  reign

                                                      Increase my courage, Lord!

                                                       I'll bear the toil,endure the pain,

                                                       Supported by Thy Word.

The children. ( Matthew 19 v 13 -15 )

 I feel very sad for the children of this generation, many of them in this country are better off than the children of my generation.Yes they have so much more materially that may be a good thing , but we are not just material beings ,and our needs go deeper,that the food on our plate.Because God has placed eternity in our being , we are born with it,some describe it as a vacuum, that God shaped hole,a longing for God. But because of mankind's fallen nature, we go astray from birth,we do not seek after God Romans 3 v 11.But we still have that longing, even as children,but alas that longing can so easily lead us into that which is destructive. A friend of mine mentioned how some 12 year olds use their smart phones,to view pornographic images,who knows where that will lead to, and what it will lead to.Children are  also being continually fed on the media with things that are contrary to their wellbeing, and contrary to God's moral law, and society is even promoting them.It is a dark picture ,with children never attending a church service , never attending Sunday school. What chance do they have?,very little, sad to say, modern society is .putting so many obstacles in their way.It  makes me very sad,so what is the answer?,most certainly prayer,and guidance from the Holy Spirit,that we will be guided in ways, as to how we reach this present generation of young people.