Help. ( Psalm 121)

' 'What is the bravest thing you've  ever said?'' asked the boy.'' Help '', said the horse.' (from a book by Charlie Mackesy)It was the Beatles who sang a song called 'Help',here is part of it.

                                    '  I was younger so much younger than today                     

                                       I never needed anybody's help in any way

                                       But now those days are gone,I'm not so self assured ,

                                       Now I find I've changed my mind,

                                       And opened up the door.'

We all have heard someone saying,'' I don't need your help', you may have said that,I have a good friend ,her husband is old and frail,she has two helpers come in ,one in the morning, one in the evening.The one in the morning comes into shower him,and get him ready,they pay for this help.But here's the thing before the helper comes my friend gets her husband up,showers him,and gets him ready herself. My friend often complains how tired she feels,I wonder why?,so don't be afraid if you need help, ask, be brave,ask.There is someone whom I go to all the time for help,his name is Jesus,he can be depended on to help ,with the biggest and the smallest problems,get into the good habit of calling on Him to help you,He is exceedingly kind,and will gladly help you.

                                       'This poor man called,and the Lord heard him;

                                        He saved Him out of all his troubles.'

                                                       Psalm 34 v 6.

                                        

You are loved. ( Romans 5 v 8 )

 So Christmas is passed,and of course it was a time of giving and receiving of gifts. One of my sons give me a couple of gifts,aftershave and a nice pen ,which came in a lovely little silver {not real silver)casket which had these words on it,'Merry Christmas, Dad,much love ,John'. In  1 Cor 13, we are told of the importance of Love, in all that we do,the best gift God ever give was given out of love,that gift was Jesus (John 3 v16). Everyone desires to be loved,I praise God for his love, no one can say they are not loved,for God loves them.And it is so very sad that God's love is rejected by so many,it was Elizabeth Clephane who wrote

                                      'Upon that cross of Jesus,mine eyes at times can see.

                                      The very dying form of one, who suffered there for me;

                                       And from my smitten heart with tears,two wonders I confess;

                                       The wonders of His glorious love,and my own worthlessness.'

Yes we are loved by God who is love,let us who are Christians,rejoice in that love,and if your not a Christian, you can know and experience that love by accepting Christ as your Saviour.

He is not an absentee landlord. ( Isaiah 45 v 6- 7 )

 The outlook does not look good for very many people,many poor countries are suffering very badly,we have the war in Ukraine,recession is rampant,and there are many other things we could mention. As a Christian I believe  that God is sovereign,,in other words He rules over all things.Let us say right away that He just, and holy,and is working out everything  according to His will and His plan. (Ephesians 1 v 11 )I  want to quote a number things that Alec Motyer says in his commentary on the Prophet Amos,this prophet had a message of judgement for many nations, that included Israel and Judah.'  There is a divine and wholly just providence controlling world history. Calamity never falls without the directive hand of God. He is no absentee  landlord in relation to the world He has created;  He has neither abdicated nor  delegated His powers. He rules and He executes judgement.This is the God with whom this fallen,wicked ,rebellious world has to do'.God is on the throne,and the good thing is this, He will remember His own. that is important to remember,we are in His hands,let us keep our eyes upon Him.

Happy New Year. ( Psalm 23)

Here we are again,standing on the brink  of a new year, a whole year,  you may be asking the question  how will you cope.Our Saviour told us,'do not worry about tomorrow' (Mt 6 v34).He has been teaching how if we seek first God's kingdom and righteousness all will be well, it seems so simple,it is, but it brings with it a challenge.It means taking our Saviour at his word, that is one of  the most vital things we must do in our Christian life. The days ahead may bring change,as last year did, let us have confidence in our wonderful God and Saviour, in Joshua 1 v 9 ,we read,'Be strong and of a good courage for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go'.May those words encourage us all ,as we face the unknown future ,God is going to be with us, 24/7, every difficulty we face He will help us,whatever needs we have ,He will meet ,and when there are times when we feel unloved,remember He loves us,and that nothing can separate us from His love  (Romans 8 v 37 - 39 )                                                                     

 

                                                   'All the way my Saviour leads me;

                                                    What have I to ask beside?

                                                    Can I doubt His tender mercies,

                                                    Who through life has been my Guide?

                                                           Words Fanny J.Crosby.

Times long past.( James 2 v 26 )

 In Belfast were I was brought up,I remember my mother and others going out on old years night,to a monument called the Albert clock,to celebrate the end of another year.I suppose on the final stroke of the old year ,everyone would start singing, 'Auld Lang Syne' that famous song written by Robert Burns.Most  people who will be singing that song,will not know the meaning of that song. The title gives us a clue,' 'Times Long Past', it is reminding us not to forget the good old times,and the companionship during that year. A worthy celebration,I do thank God for the good things in the year that's gone by,I have not  gone hungry, I am not in debt,I have enough to live on,and so one could go on,I thank God also for friendships. and family. But many are not as fortunate as me,I appreciate that,I hope in the year that is gone I have helped someone,by a word,deed or even just a smile,the following song sums it up.

               'If I can help somebody as I pass along,if I can cheer somebody with a word or a song,

               If I can show somebody he is travelling wrong, Then my living shall not be in vain.

               If I can do my duty as Christian oft,If I can bring back beauty to a world up wrought,

               If I can spread love's message that the Master taught,Then my living shall not be in vain.

                                                   'Then my living shall not be in vain

                                                   Then my living shall not be in vain!

                                                    If I can help somebody as I pass along,

                                                    Then my living shall not be in vain'

He is coming again. ( 1 Thessalonians 4 v 13 - 18 )

 Our  Saviour told his disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them,and of course that includes all Christians,but He also said  He was coming back to take them ,and all Christians to be with Him in glory. (John 14 v 3) All Christians believe that Jesus is coming again, how do you feel about that? It is Peter writing to believers,tells them that in the last days ,there would be those whom he calls scoffers ,who will say,'where is this coming?',( Read 2 Peter 3 )On the second coming Alec Motyer writes ,'We do not gaze into the future in order to satisfy the, 'horoscope' mentality.The promise of His coming is given without date so that we may live daily preparing to meet our Lord.( Luke 12 v 35 - 48)Life in the present is motivated by awareness of the future. Indeed,Paul opens his discussion of the future coming with a present tense',for we are told that our citizenship is in heaven, (Philippians 3 v 20).Christians are even, now ,citizens of the commonwealth of heaven, and this  is our status as we wait for our Saviour. We belong  to a far of homeland and wait for the King of that land to come and fetch us.Our names are on the citizenship  roll there ,and our place  is secure, but while we wait  here we must live as if we were there .'

                                                 'He's coming soon,He's coming soon,

                                                 With joy we welcome His returning;

                                                  It may be morn,it may be night or noon,

                                                  We know He's coming soon'

                                                       Words Joshua Aaron

                                                                      

Brain washed. ( Titus 3 v 3 -7 )

A man got saved,and he spoke to his mother about Christ,and she said to him,'' you  are brain washed'',and he replied ,'mother ,if you knew what was in my brain,you would be glad that it has been washed'.Our brains are wonderful,I remember one of the characters from the ,'Wizard of Oz', and he hadn't got a brain.Well we all have a brain,it is a marvel.Recently I was having a conversation with a friend,we were trying to remember the name of a famous sports person but we couldn't so we left it, at that.We continued our conversation,then suddenly the name came into my mind,I was unaware that my mind searched,and found that name.It is a amazing thing that our brains have this memory box,stores so much. Our brain takes in so much,it does not decipher what is good or bad,and of course when its in our mind ,we can't get rid of it.So much uncleanness ,the prophet Jeremiah  said that our nature is deceitful and desperately wicked.This is not an exaggeration ,it is a fact,so often we don't recognise this.That person who was accused of being brain washed,did recognise this,and he trusted Jesus,and he received a cleansing.even of his mind.There should be a change when one trusts Jesus,we will by God's grace not run with the evil that's within, and we will resist the evil that is within.

                                                   'If anyone becomes a Christian

                                                    they will become a new person.'