Shame ( Ephesians 5 v 8 - 20 )

 I read this verse of a poem by Joanna Baillie.

                                             'I can bear scorpion's stings, tread fields of fire,

                                              In frozen gulfs of cold eternal lie,

                                              Be toss'd aloft through tracts of endless void,

                                              But cannot live in shame'

As I think back on my life there are things I feel ashamed off, but at that time I wasn't ashamed,but coming back to the Lord ,changed me,I became more aware of right and  wrong. I  am sure we have all done things we are ashamed off.There are extreme things in life that people do, like child abuse ,and they don't know any shame,they are just consumed  with their sexual lust. The sad thing is that those who have been abused feel  shame,even though they are not guilty of any wrong. Things have changed in our society pornography is endemic, and often what we see on the media,feeds into that,and there is no shame.The history of mankind is filled with shame, not only in the sexual realm,but in relation to money, in relation to the truth, to an addiction that does not care of the pain or hurt they inflict on others,no shame.I am not finger pointing,I am a sinner saved by Gods grace ,through my dear Saviour Jesus. When I trusted Jesus I found forgiveness and acceptance,and I believe he has made me a better person,oh yes I still will fall, when I do, I repent, and receive forgiveness.

                                                 'Out of my shameful failure and loss,

                                                  Jesus, I come! Jesus I come!

                                                   Into the glorious gain of the cross,

                                                   Jesus, I come to Thee!

                                                       Words W.T. Sleeper.

                                             

                                              

Thank you. (Isaiah 53 )

 Somethings you remember  until the day one dies,that moment when I was drowning as a young boy,how my life was saved thankfully  by one of the attendants at the swimming pool. One of the other most important things was passing my  driving test , I am so thankful for my wee wife and children praying while I did my test,and for God answering. Following that I am thankful for the lady who give me my first car, a  little, ' Morris Minor'.There are so many other things one could mention,here is the main one, a prayer of thanksgiving to God,'Thank you Lord for what you were prepared to endure for me on Calvary'. Yes me,why me? ,after all what have I ever done to deserve such love?,the answer is ,I did not deserve such love.I was born a sinner. As I look back on my life especially my thought life, I can assure you that I was far from God. The words from a hymn sum up what God did for me.                                                

                                                        'In loving kindness Jesus came,

                                                        My soul in mercy to reclaim

                                                        And from the depths of sin and shame,

                                                        Through grace He lifted me'  Words C.G.Homer.

Yes He suffered humiliation , flogging,the cross, but it did not stop there,there was an even deeper suffering, for on that cross He bore the wrath of God for me.There are no words that can describe the depths of that suffering,no artist could paint a picture of it.love so amazing so divine demands my soul my life my all.

                                                               Thank you Jesus.

The Lord is Good (Psalm 126 v 23 )

'The Lord is good,His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth for ever',these words are from Psalm 100 v5. Herbert Lockyer ,gives us the following helpful comments.'God is good, and His goodness faileth never. His mercy is like Himself, everlasting, and will be ours without end. As for His truth, it will never be revoked. Amid a changing world we would be in perpetual fear of shipwreck, but we have a God whose word has never been broken. Everything  about Him is everlastingly unchangeable, and such should call forth thanksgiving unwearied from hearts that never faint'.

                                                  ' O may this bounteous God

                                                    Through all or life be near us;

                                                    With ever joyful hearts

                                                     And blessed peace to cheer us;

                                                     And keep us in His grace,

                                                      And guide us when perplexed,

                                                      And free us from all ills

                                                     In this worlds and the next.

                                                           Words Martin. Rinckart/  C. Winkworth.

I am a Christian. (Philippians 1 v 21 )

Martin Luther counseled all the Lord's people to answer  all temptations with the brief saying, 'Christianus sum'-'' I am a Christian''.  Being a Christian should make all the difference in  all our lives,it means we have one with us who will care for us ,provide for us,protect us, never leave us nor forsake us.It  should  mean that we act,speak, and think, in a different way than the non- Christian. We should have a restraint on our lives,to not do anything that would dishonour our Saviour. Our aim in life should be that of unquestionable obedience to him who is our Lord, and we should  to do all things to the glory of God.We should live in the fear of God ,and rely on the grace of God , and walk and live by faith.His word should be utmost in our lives. His word should be our guide,and our delight,we should hold fast to biblical truth,refuse to compromise ,to our own understanding, or to those who have compromised.We should hold loosely to all things, have our sights always on that which is eternal,and especially on  Christ,and never forget that He is coming again..

                                                          '' I am a Christian''.

Lying. ( Proverbs 12 v 22)

 Most people love David such a brave courageous person,the giant killer, Israels greatest king,and of course we have more of his life recorded  than any other king in the Bible. He wrote many of the Psalms.my what a wonderful man of God,a man after God's own heart.But he was not perfect by any means we are familiar with his dreadful actions, in committing a adultery and the murder that also took place. It is Herbert Lockyer who points out ,'Lying was a sin that David. through diffidence ,fell into frequently , 1Samuel 21 v2,8; 27: 8, 10.of course lying usually has consequences,for it cost the lives of the priests of God on one occasion.Is it possible to always to tell the truth?,can we excuse David for his lying?,no ,of course not,lying is a sin,God is a God of truth,and He expects us to tell the truth.There is an old saying ,'Tell the truth and shame the devil', we all remember President Nixon saying,'There will be no whitewash  in the White House', but there was.Sometimes political leaders,and powerful men  in business, think that the importance of telling the truth does not apply to them, but it does. Lying must be seen for what it is, a sin,  and it is important,that we realise the seriousness of it, for all sin is very serious, lying is no exception . Thankfully God is a forgiving God,and if we repent,and seek forgiveness, he will forgive us.

I am a stranger. ( Revelation 20 v 1 - 4 )

 ' I am a stranger on earth',so reads v 19 of Psalm 119,It is in Philippians 3 v20 the apostle Paul  reminds us Christians,that we are citizens of heaven.As Christians we are to keep that in mind  it is vital that we don't get so carried away with life on planet earth and that we do not loose sight of eternal values, and our eternal destination.The saints of God who lived under the old covenant  confessed themselves foreigners and strangers and longed for a better country, a heavenly one. Hebrews 11 v 14 -16. They were people of faith and God promised to honour that faith v 16, as he will honour our faith,and we with them will enjoy eternal joys .It is not that we should not love life here on earth ,it is important, it is of course,but its not the all important thing. We have a choice we can set our minds  solely,on this life which is temporal.or by faith set our hearts on heaven where Christ is. All we can see with our natural vision will soon be gone,but our future glory will never fade or pass away.We will go from the imperfect ,to the perfect,we will go from living in a sinful world, to a sinless existence. Our sinless fallen nature will be no more, perfection will reign,every aspect of our fallenness  will be be removed.No more tears ,loneliness ,sadness or badness, Satan's reign will  have ceased,and  Christ will reign for ever, and we shall reign with Him.

                                                    'When all my labours and trials are o'er

                                                     And I am safe on that beautiful shore,

                                                     Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,

                                                     Will through the ages be glory for me.'

                                                                 Words C.H. Gabriel

Punishment.( Isaiah 53 v 10 - 12 ) 2

 Let us consider some aspects of Christs death on the cross, it involved punishment, yes Christ was being punished, not for wrongs that He had done,the hymn writer asks the question,'Was it for sins that I had done He groaned upon the tree?. The answer is very simply yes,for Jesus never sinned ( Hebrews 4v 15 ).Because of sin the wrath of God is upon all of us John 3 v 36,that is the punishment for sinning against a holy God.The bible clearly teaches that after death there is going be a judgement,that will mean that all who are without Christ will go to hell, and that is an eternal judgement.Revelation 6 v 16- 17.  That is a just punishment for sin, by a just God,on that day no one will suffer any injustice.In 1Peter 2 v24, we read,' He himself  bore our sins ' in His body on the cross',It is A.M.Stibbs who points out,'To bear sin or iniquity means  in the OT , to be answerable for it, and to endure its penalty', the penalty for sin is death. (Romans 6 v23).His death was a vicarious death,the  meaning of this is,one who would act on the part of another. So on the cross He bore the punishment for sin, as the hymn wrote,' The wrath of God that the sinner due was led upon the lamb. So it is that the moment Jesus forgives a sinner ,judgement is removed,never to be enacted upon.

                                           'O happy day when Jesus washed my sins away'