What's the answer?. ( Luke 18 v1 ) 1

The world is a very uncertain place, in these last number of years we have had Covid still ongoing, Ukraine still ongoing,and all the problems it has brought with it.We have political problems in our country,and the world is full of problems ,sickness,death depth,crime,and so we could go on.Paradise has been lost, what can we do?,as a Christian stay close to God,pray,pray and pray.I read this recently as regards our dear Saviour ,that He was in constant communion that His prayer is His life. In all His thoughts He stands constantly in His Fathers's presence'.We can only hope  to get through this life ,like our Saviour did,by  constant communion with our loving heavenly Fatherly.The hymn writer said that prayer was the Christians vital breath,let us make it so.

                                                       'From every stormy wind that blows,

                                                       From swelling tide of woes,

                                                       There is a calm, a safe retreat;

                                                       'Tis found beneath the mercy seat'

                                                                  James Montgomery.

A good person. ( Romans 3 v 23 )

Augustine  said,''There are many who, according to a custom of  this life, are called good people,-good men, good women , innocent, and observers as it were of what is commanded in the law; paying respect to their  parents ,  abstaining from adultery,  doing no murder, committing no theft, giving no false witness against any one, and observing all else that the law requires-yet are not Christians..... Pagans may say, then,We live well.  If they enter not by the door, what good will that do them ?''. The answer is nothing,for  although people from a human point of view  may be considerate good,they  are sinners,and they need a Saviour, who alone can forgive sin. Let us not be deceived into thinking that some people don't need to be saved,even those we would class as being good.We rightly say no one is perfect,but it also true that no one is sinless,and what do sinners need they need a Saviour, and  Jesus is the  only Saviour ,there is.

                                         'Human goodness,does not mean human sinlessness'

I came ,I saw ,I conquered ( Romans 8 v 37 - 39 )

 It was said that Julius Caesar utter the following words,'I came,I saw ,I conquered',he was a great general , who won many battles.I thought on his words, and thought of someone so much greater than him Jesus ,  but unlike Caesar He did not come with an army,no, He came himself. Where did He come from?,from heaven,and He came to fight a battle, to destroy the works of the devil 1 John 3 v 8,and to destroy the power of death,and  the power of sin.That which Caesar could not destroy.As we see the history of humanity those three  things are every evident.Look out the at  the world,what do you see?, take the blinkers off,look at reality,oh yes we cannot see the devil, but there is plenty of evidence that he exists,sin and death are only to real,and we are affected by them,we are born without hope and without God Ephesians 2 v 12.  But Christ came to change all that, and He did  it in a strange way ,by dying on a cross, there sin was dealt with,and there death was dealt with,as was manifested by His resurrection .It means that the devils power can be broken in our lives,sin can be forgiven,and death will not have the final say,death will eventually die,but we who have trusted Jesus shall live.

                                                 'Jesus came, He saw,and He conquered'

I exaggerate not. ( Romans 5 v 6 - 11)

A  survivor of the Holocaust attended the trial of one person involved in the Holocaust,and as he looked at him he said, he saw an ordinary man,and that upset him,and he thought ,that could me standing their.The problem of all us is ,we underestimate our fallen human nature.We all know the saying,'there but by the grace of God go I',so true, the scripture tells us a very important truth  ,' The heart is more deceitful than all else,and is desperately sick;Who can understand it'. Jeremiah 17 v19,in v 10, we read ,' I, the Lord, search the heart',only God knows the full  fallenness of our human nature,and the dreadful potential towards evil that dwells within,  potentially there is a Judas Iscariot in all of us, it is as serious as that, I do not exaggerate.We are all sin sick souls, in fact as we are born, we are dead spiritually, separated from a holy God by our sinful condition.  The problem is, no human being has the answer, for our sickness,yes mankind finds answers for many things, but only God and He alone,has the answer of humanities sinful condition, left to ourselves we are lost and hell beckons.God has provided the answer through Jesus death on the cross,if you are not Christian I urge you to trust Jesus as your Saviour ,He alone can forgive you  your sins,and set you free .

We are all His favourites. ( Acts 10 v 34-35)

There is a modern song with these words in it,'You raise me up to more than I can be',those words struck a cord in me.It reminds me what God do for us ,that is lift us up. In Psalm 40 , we read some wonderful words,

                                          'I waited patiently for the Lord;

                                          And He inclined unto me,

                                          And He heard my cry.

Note those words I waited patiently,we are all in a hurry,except God, are you in difficulties,and your saying, why is  God not answering my prayers?, because we have need of patience,learn that the lesson.Then we read  that God  heard his cry,dear child of God,it is not a vain thing to wait upon the Lord in prayer.Next we read,

                                           'He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

                                            out of the miry clay,

                                            And set my feet upon a rock,

                                            And established my steps.'

David was in dire straits ,he describes it as being like being in horrible pit,stuck in miry clay, it seems that there was no escape,that his number was up, unless the Lord would answer his prayer,and the wonderful thing is ,He did..What He did for David He can do for you,but you may say He did that for David, he was a special person,but God has no favourites, all God's children are precious in His sight, we are all His favourites.

                                            'It is no secret what God do,

                                            What He's done for others,he

                                            can do for you.'

                                            

Christian love. ( John 15 v 12 )

Bruce Milne wrote,' To love like Jesus is to love inclusively, indiscriminately and  universally.When that kind of love flows within a congregation the world will take note that' they have been with Jesus'.Nor need this standard daunt us. Tertullian  reported in the late second century  the comments of the pagans in his day;' Behold, how these Christians love each other! How ready they are to die for each other! ' There mutual love was the magnet which drew the pagan multitudes to Christ. It has the potential to do so again'.

                                                                      Psalm 133.

                                             

                                                    How wonderful and pleasant it is

                                                    when brothers live together in harmony!

                                                    For  harmony is as precious as the anointing oil

                                                    that was poured over Aaron's head,

                                                    that ran down his beard

                                                    and unto the border of his robe.

                                                    Harmony is as refreshing as the dew of  Mount 

                                                    Hermon that falls on the mountains of  Zion.

                                                    And there the Lord has pronounced His blessing

                                                    even life everlasting.

                                                   

                                             

Nothing. ( Hebrews 12 v 4-11)

                                                           In Romans 8 v 38- 39 we read.

                                           ' For I am convinced that neither death nor life,

                                            neither angels or demons,neither the present or

                                            the future, nor any powers,neither height nor                                           

                                            depth,nor  anything else in all creation,will be 

                                            able to separate us from the love of God that is

                                            in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

Wonderful words of assurance to those who belong to Christ,that does not mean we can do anything we like,to presume on the word of God.If we fall morally ,act in a wrong way, He will not reject us,but out of  love for us His children, He will correct us and discipline us, that's what our heavenly Father will do. Hebrews 12 v 6.