A Prayer. ( Philippians 3 v 8 -14 )

                                                              A prayer.

Lord I have not got there yet,so many battles yet to be won,help me not to give up in despair,to press on,of being more like my Saviour. The gulf  between you and you me Lord is great,in so many ways. The words  crucify the flesh come to mind, reminding me of the cost of being your follower. Lord your path was not easy,from the time you left heaven,until you returned to heaven,I want to be like you,keep that desire in my heart each day until you take me home. Help me in every situation to be like you,so easy to make excuses when I  don't reflect you, help me to quickly repent,and to keep lines between me and you open . Amen.

Are you thirsty? ( John 4 v1 - 14 )

 In John 7 we read that our Saviour  attended  the festival of Tabernacles , ( Lev 23 v 33ff )part of the festival involved a priest taking a golden pitcher and going to the Pool of Siloam and filling it with water. It was then  carried back through the Water Gate while the people recited Isaiah 12 v 3; ''With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation''. The water was then carried to the Temple and to the altar and poured out on it as an offering to God.It was against this background , Jesus said in a loud voice,'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink'.J.C. Ryle comments on this,'We should note the breadth of the invitation. It is for''any man''. Then note the persons invited. They are those who ''Thirst''. The expression is a figurative one, denoting the spiritual distress and anxiety which anyone feels when he discovers the value of his soul, and the sinfulness of sin, and his own guilt. Such a one feels a burning desire for relief, of  which the distressing sensation of ''thirst''- a sensation familiar  to all Eastern nations- is a most fitting  emblem. No  further qualification is named. There is no mention  of repentance,amendment, preparation, conditions to fulfil, new heart to be got. One thing alone is named. Does a man ''Thirst''? Does he  feel his sins and want  pardon?- Then the Lord invites him'.

Thank you. ( Matthew 6 v 1 -4 )

 Thank you is very important, we try to teach our children to say thank you,when you say thank you ,you are expressing gratitude. The apostle Paul expressed gratitude to the church at Philippi for their support  Phil 4 v10 ff. Thank you does not only involve receiving a gift of money,a kindness shown,I often say I am praying for them,and usually they say thank you.Our Saviour highlighted certain people as regards their giving, because they gave money publicly, to be admired by others.Matthew 5 v1 . Our giving should not be  done for the general public to  applause,it should be privately, even secretly, done totally for the glory of God.If  someone gives you a gift ,it is not wrong to say thank you,if you give a gift and they don't say thank you,don't  worry, your heavenly father who sees everything , will reward you.  Matthew 6 v 4.

Jesus wept. ( 1 Peter 5 v 7 )

 The 11 th chap of John has so much to teach us, it is mainly about the death and  amazing resurrection of Lazarus by our dear Saviour. I want to turn you to that point in this event to v 35,Jesus is standing outside Lazarus tomb, he had been dead 4 days.As our Saviour stood there we read,'He wept', this is the shortest verse in the bible, it has so much meaning attached to it.Our Saviour was not just a miracle worker, I do not read that of miracle workers who make a living out of it, very rarely do we see any weeping. Most of them are more interested in self glorification,it is easy to start up as a miracle worker,so many dear people are desperate to try anything to see a loved one healed, and usually money is involved.Jesus never did anything for what he could get out of it, never once did he charge anyone for healing them,freely He gave and freely they received. I do believe that miracles happen, not  to glorify any person, but to glorify God. Let me return to the weeping Christ, he is the one who feels for suffering humanity,especially those who are his,in your suffering cast all your cares upon Him,for he cares for you.May His love ,compassion, peace fill your heart, May you hear his gentle whisper speaking words of comfort, telling you that he is with you always.

 

God is ( Psalm 121 )

I read this recently,'An Eastern story has it that a poor woman ,came to the Sultan one day, and asked compensation for the loss of some property.''How did you loose it '', asked the monarch. ''I fell asleep'', was the reply,''and a robber entered my dwelling . ''Why did you fall asleep?'' said the Sultan. The woman answered,'' I fell asleep because I believed you were awake.'' The Sultan was so delighted with the answer, that he ordered her loss to be made up.In Psalm 121 we read,' 

                          He will not let your foot slip ,He who watches over you will not slumber

                          Indeed He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

                                                Child of God ,He is watching  over you.

Only God . ( Psalm 121 )

Every morning before my wife goes out to work I pray with her that the Lord would keep her safe as she drives her car ,she works as a community care. Recently when she arrived home, she told me that she nearly had an accident with a young fellow on a scooter. When she told me that,I replied,'' that is why I pray with you,' that appears obvious ,and it is,as I look back on my life,God has preserved me on the road.Yes  I have had a few accidents during my time on the road, but I never been injured,I have had near misses.Psalm 121 is a wonderful Psalm , a favourite of many people,and v 8 reads,'The Lord shall preserve  your going out and your coming in,from this time forth,and even for evermore'.That includes everything,air ,sea,train, car and walking, so do get the good habit of praying whenever you go out.But it does not only include our travelling,for v7 reads,'The Lord; shall preserve you from all evil ; He shall preserve your soul.'  I have been following the Lord for 58 years, and in the words of a hymn,I have experienced ,many dangers, toils and snares.How have  I managed to come this far? the answer is God,it was Spurgeon who said,'Everyday one is a Christian its a miracle' I would say a big Amen to that.

Jesus wept ( Ephesians 2 v 1- 10 )

 Let us consider John 11 v 35 , and those words ,'Jesus wept'.just recently a neighbour  who had suddenly taken ill died. When I heard  this from his daughter , I wept, and when Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus He wept, he burst out into tears. Jesus is the Son of God, that means that he is truly God and truly man, he was not just manifesting his humanity,but he was also manifesting his deity . God has emotions, He loves,he is angry, he is merciful,compassionate,etc.His anger is never out of control , all of His emotions are not in anyway tainted by sin, for God is holy. When you read the ministry of Jesus ,you see God reflected in those things he did, He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities .We are told God  is love 1 John 4 v 16, we are talking about the God of the the whole bible,old and new covenant ,some misguided people make a difference, there is no difference. In the old , time after time, he showed love, mercy and compassion.Yes he judged people and nations ,as He will judge all the unsaved in a coming day, but millions will be saved from judgement,for the God of love provided a way of escape through His Son Jesus death on the cross. The Christ who stood  outside Lazarus tomb, is the Christ who even now reaches out to all,to come to Him and be saved.

                                                   'Jesus loves me this I know

                                                    for the bible tells me so.'