A thief. ( 1 Timothy 1 v 15 - 16)

 Let use our imagination ,lets come to hill without a city wall,there's three cross'es ,there are two thieves hanging on cross'es,and Jesus is in between these two thieves.Both of these thieves are angry,the religious people around the cross taunted Jesus mocking Him, and the two thieves did the same.But something strange happened ,one the thieves stopped insulting Jesus,he had a change of heart,and he rebuked his fellow thief,he acknowledged that unlike Jesus that they were receiving their just deserts.He looked at Jesus,the person he had been mocking, and he found himself saying,'Jesus,remember me when you come into your kingdom', Luke 23 v42.Jesus spoke to him,'Truly I say unto you,today you shall be with me in Paradise'. v 42.For Jesus the cross was necessary, that's why he came, to be a sacrifice for sin,that effectively deals with the sin of all those who put their faith in Him, He bore the wrath of God ,that all who put  their faith would not experience.that wrath You may be a thief, a murderer,adulterer,sex offender, and so the list could goes on, and on,yes we are all on that list, for we are all sinner,we all need  Jesus,that means you and it means me.

                                                          'Man of sorrows what a name

                                                           In my place condemned He stood,

                                                           Sealed my pardon with His blood;

                                                            Hallelujah what a Saviour!

                                                                      Philip P. Bliss.

What's the point? ( Roman 8 v 26 -28 )

A friend spoke of  someone  he knew,who told how his prayers were not being answered, he said what's the point of praying. What can one say to that?, is he right?, he thinks he is. As one who has been following the Lord for 58 yrs, I know that God has not always answered what I prayed for,like a wife not to die of cancer, and she died. I can think of so many other things, in which the thing I asked for was not granted,things that caused me a lot of pain, but it did not happen. So should I agree with that person ,and  say,' what's the point?', no I do not agree with him,it is a foolish think to say. CP Job 2 v 9- 10.I think sometimes we are so intent in our prayers,and we feel that our  prayer should be answered, God has to answer it. Consider the following words ,'We do not know what we ought to pray for', Romans 8 v 26.In our weakness we often don't know what's best for us, only the triune God knows what's best, let me repeat that,He knows what's best for us.As a parent ,we realise that our little children don't know what's best for them,and so we often have had to say no to their requests.So it is with our loving heavenly Father, He knows what's best for his children,so its no good having a tantrum, our heavenly Father, really does know what's best for us, trust Him.

Worship 2 ( Romans 12 v 1 - 2 )

 What would you think if I said to you that all our lives should be an act of worship,in Romans 12 v1 we read,'Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters,in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living  sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship'. In Revelation 1 v 6 ,we are told, that the Lord ,' has made us to be a kingdom  and priests to serve his God and Father. CP also 1 Peter 2 v 9.a priest offers up sacrifices. John Stott comments as regards what Paul writes in Rom12 v 1,' He represents us as a priestly people, who, in responsive gratitude for God's mercy, offer  or present our bodies as living sacrifices,and JS adds,' Such an offering is our spiritual act of worship'.He further adds,' 'This spiritual worship is not to be found in the temple courts or in  the church building, but rather in the home  life,and in the market place'. he further says,' No worship is pleasing to  God which is purely inward, abstract and mystical; it must express itself in concrete acts of service performed by our bodies'.

                              'A life lived in serving God, is the most acceptable act of worship'.

Worship (1 ) ( 1 Chronicles 16 v 29 -)

What do you think of worship? I was witnessing to someone recently, he mentioned a problem  ,he said it was a bit confusing,so many religions.Yes there are ,but there is only one God Isaiah 46 v 9,that God is the one revealed  in the bible,He alone is to be worshipped, and we can only do that through Jesus,because God is holy we need to have our sins forgiven,and that happen when Jesus becomes our Saviour, the barrier is removed.The Bible tells us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness ( 1Chronicles 16 v 29). Although we have been forgiveness,and excess into  the presence of God, unconfessed  sin must be confessed,it will not effect our standing with God, but it will affect God responding to our prayers.When we think of worship we relate to meeting with Gods children,were we sing hymns ,and songs to God,but we must not limit our worship to a church building, yes that is one aspect of worship.Remember many cannot meet with others ,but they can meet with God.We will consider look at this , next time.

If only. ( Psalm 81)

Psalm 81 begins by reminding Israel of God 's past deliverance,and with that reminder God warns them of the importance of listening to what he says.He mentions that they should not worship any other god's, warnings are so important, we ignore them to our cost ,especially if it is a warning from God. God is not to be trifled with.The people He brought out of Egypt did not listen to Him ,time after time, and they paid the price for their disobedience.God punished that generation ,with the result they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years,until all that generation would die off.In v 11- 12, we read ,'But my people would not listen to me, Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn hearts to follow their own devices'.They wanted their own way ,so God let them have it, In Romans 1 we read how God gave people people up to their own ways,with dire consequences. Spurgeon said,'Be careful what you want, because you're sure to get it'.Listen to what God said to Israel,and indeed to us,''If my people would only listen to me,if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes' v 13 - 14.Don't end up by saying ',if only I had listen to God'.

Perfection is it possible?. ( Philippians 3 v 12 - 14 )

Someone said ,'  In this world the ideal does not correspond to reality,and he who acts from amiable motives is nothing but a fool'.The person who said this was a Pope, he said this in answer to a man who pointed to him a better way,he knew what the man was saying was right,but he was not willing to put it into practice,he was to afraid of loosing out financially. Our Saviour said,'Be perfect, therefore , as your heavenly Father is perfect'. Matthew 5 v 48.The Pope in fact was ruling this out, even calling those who try to follow what  Jesus said as being fools. I know as a Christian .that as long as I live ,there will always be distance between what I should be,and what I am. So should we give up trying, just throw in towel?, of course not ,we must take what Jesus said  seriously, and put it into practice.We are to fight the good fight of faith, and always choose the right way,the Pope chose the wrong way.I don't judge him  I leave that with God, may God grant us that we will follow the right way. 

If. ( 1 Corinthians 3 v 13 - 16 )

I hope God has enabled me in my life to have done some good, of course we have in the last analysis to leave that in Gods have. Martin Luther King, JR was a great man, not a perfect man, he said many meaningful things and he asked himself,as to what he would want said when he died,so this is what he said.

           'I'd like somebody to mention on that day, that he had tried to give his life in serving others,

           that he tried to love somebody,that he tried to be right on the war question, 

           That he did try to feed the hungry,that he did try to clothe those who were naked,that he did try 

           to visit those in prison

           that he did try to love and serve humanity'

There is a song that comes to mind,written  by Alma Bazel Anderson that carries on the same theme .

                                         ' If I can help somebody as I pass along,

                                          If I can cheer somebody with a word or song.

                                          IF I can show somebody he's traveling  wrong,

                                          Them my living will not be in vain.

                                           If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,

                                           If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought.                                     

                                           If I can spread the message as the Master taught,

                                           Then my living will not be in vain'.