Be ready ( Revelation 1 v12 - 18 )

 In John 7 v 1 ,we read that the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill Jesus, now of course Jesus knew that they would eventually have their way,Matthew 16 v 21.But that moment would come in God's time,and not before,the purpose of Christ coming was to die on the cross. John 12 v 27. There was times when people tried to kill Jesus but it did not happen Luke 4 v 28 - 30,the reason being it was not God's time.the scripture puts it like,'His hour had not come'.John 7 v 30. It is Calvin who reasons from Christ's death to ours;' From this a general doctrine must be gathered; for though we live unto the day, the hour of every man's death has nevertheless been fixed by God...... we are safe from all dangers until God wishes to call us away'. And as I often say,' be ready',as believers let us live as if it were our last day on earth, and if  you are not a believer, trust Jesus as your Saviour, for it may be your last day.

                                                         'Sovereign ruler of the skies,

                                                         Ever gracious,ever wise;

                                                         All my times are in Thy hands,

                                                        All events at Thy command.

                                                        Plagues and death around me fly;

                                                        Not a single shaft can hit,

                                                        Till the God of love sees fit.'

                                                                  John Ryland.

Our priority. ( Matthew 6 v 9 - 10 )

 We read in John 7 of our Lord going up to Jerusalem during the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles,for Him it was a dangerous thing to do, for the Jewish leaders were looking for a way to kill Him . Alongside this his own brothers did not believe in Him,but undeterred He went to the festival knowing the risk . He was very brave and courageous ,He was not acting foolishly or in a spirit of bravado ,no, He was  walking in the will of God. His whole life entailed that very thing, doing the will of God.It was His delight  Psalm 40 v 8, and His purpose in coming into this world, in John 4 v34, He declared,'My food',...'is to do the will of Him who sent Me,and to finish His work.' As Christians the challenge  for all of us is to follow in our Saviours footsteps,in doing the will of God. I recently heard of a man who was very discouraged because he did not get what he prayed for,he wanted a job.What we want is not the priority in our lives ,the priority must  always be the will of God,

                                                                    A prayer.

                                                 'Not my will, but yours be done'.

A grateful heart. ( Luke 17 v 11 - 19) 1

 In Psalm 107 v 23 - 32 we read of those who go to sea in ships,and how often  they find themselves in a severe storm that threatens their lives,they try everything to survive,but to no avail,death looks certain. In that situation they do what many people do,'they cried to Lord'v 28,and we read God in His mercy responded ,by calming the sea,and bringing them to their desired haven. It stands to reason that if God delivers,be it nation,or an individual,they should give thanks unto God ,sad to say it does not often happen but if we are children of God it should happen.How grateful are we for His many deliverances, for his help and protection ,and most of all for His salvation.May today we raise our thankful hearts to him who loved us when we didn't love Him,from Him who stuck with us through thick and thin,and still remains faithful to us today.

                                                   'Now thank we all our God,

                                                   with hearts,and hands, and voices;

                                                   who wondrous things hath done,

                                                   in whom this world rejoices;

                                                   Who, from our mothers arms,

                                                   hath blessed us on our way 

                                                  with countless gifts of love,

                                                   and still is ours today.

                                                           Martin Rinkart.

                                                   

And it came to pass ( 2 Corinthians 4 v 16 - 18 )

              I heard this song recently written by Kaidi Tatham, called ,'These things will pass'.

                                            'These things will pass and some great morning,

                                             We'll look back and smile at heartaches we have known,

                                             So don't forget when shadows gather,

                                             The Lord our God is still the King upon the throne.

                                              These things will pass,so don't you worry,

                                              The darkest time is just one hour before the dawn,

                                              So hold up high and face your troubles ,

                                              And don't despair if you must face them all alone.

                                              A rose looks grey at midnight ,but the flame is just asleep,

                                              And steel is strong because it knew the hammer and white heat,

                                              When love and faith are strong, they cannot long endure.'

'But now, thus says the Lord, who created you O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called by your Name,you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk  through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God. The holy One of  Israel, your  Saviour'.       ( Isaiah 43 v 1 - 3 )

                                               

Unrighteous anger. ( Ephesians 4 v 30 - 32)

Jonah was a very angry man,even disillusioned ,why?, because as one writer puts it,' he could not accept  Yahweh'cheapening' His mercy by offering it to all and sundry'.It was all to much for him to accept,so he asked God to take his life.God challenges Jonah as regards his anger,are you angry?be careful that  your anger may lead you to say something you shouldn't,or do something you shouldn't. We read how Jonah went out of the city and sat down to see what would happen,would God give in to him,and destroy the city, that was not going to happen.As he sat there God caused a plant to grow,and it give him shade from the sun,but then God caused the plant to die,he became angry and wished to die. He felt justified at being angry at the loss of the plant. It was then God spoke to him,and pointed out that Jonah thought more of the plant ,than the  hundred and twenty thousand people and their livestock, whom God in mercy showed pity on then.It is sad that so often we who profess to be God's children ,misrepresent Him, in so many ways.  God grant us grace,to be like our dear Saviour, who did not come to condemn the world ,but to save all who repent of their sin and trust Him.

                                                          'Christ receiveth Sinful men

                                                          Even me with all my sin;

                                                          Purged from every spot and stain,

                                                          Heaven with Him I enter in'

                                                               Erdman Neumeister

Mercy . ( Luke 18 v 9 - 14 )

 The last chapter of the book of Jonah commences with Jonah displeased and angry at God showing mercy unto Nineveh.Ore we any different? most people think that the wickedest  people,should not be shown any mercy,and most definitely not go to heaven,and that they should go to hell.I thing that we all have to some degree the spirit of Jonah.  We are told that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Romans 3 v 23,in other words we all deserve to go to hell, we all need the mercy of God.That mercy only  comes through Jesus ,it was one of greatest of the prophets Isaiah,acknowledged  his need of  forgiveness. (Isaiah 6 v 5- 8). Jonah's reluctance to go to Nineveh stemmed from his knowledge of God,that God was gracious ,merciful,and loving, and that He would forgive even the Ninevites. We will continue looking at this next time, I will leave you with a verse of a hymn by Frederick William Faber.

                                                   ' There's a wideness in God's mercy

                                                     like the wideness of the sea;

                                                     There's a kindness in His  justice

                                                      Which is more than liberty'

Change ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 17) 9

The moment Jonah finished his prayer,God spoke to the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land 2 v 10. The creature obeyed their creator unlike humanity who remain in a state of disobedience choosing not to listen.,Zechariah 7 v 11. As Jonah stood on dry ground God spoke a second time to him, his message was basically the same ,judgement was coming, and they were told that it would happen in forty days. Jonah faithfully proclaimed God's word,and he had every preachers dream, come true,for we read,   'And the people of Nineveh believed God',3 v 5.Even the king ,he  rose from his throne ,removed his royal robes,put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. He give orders that animals and people should fast,and to be covered in sackcloth ,and for the people to cry mightily to God, and to turn from their evil ways,in the hope that God would repent,and turn away His fierce anger,so that they would not perish ,and that is exactly what happened.It was the greatest of the prophets,John the Baptist, who declared to the religious leaders of his day,'Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turn to God' Matthew 3 v 8.A true turning to Christ, must manifest a true reality,in a change of life.