Armchair General ( Matthew 19 v 21 )

 I am reading an interesting book,called 'The Armchair General', written by James Buckley,it takes the reader back to the 2nd world war,and highlights the  decisions that those in power had to make.For instance  Churchills decision to fight on,the author attempts to show what may have happened if he had decided not to fight on,and negotiated with Hitler. So the question is what would you have done if you were in Churchills place?,it is very intriguing, a bit of fun.Of course every day we make decisions, some people try to avoid making decisions,but even that is a decision,the fact is we cannot escape making decisions.A lot of decisions are not very important,others have a measure of importance,then others are very important.The whole subject is as I have said  all very intriguing,as I look back on my life,I suppose I can highlight some of the main decisions in my life, getting married,having children, learning to drive,going to Bible college ,coming to England as a minister,then working as a support worker with the mentally  ill.They are all important decisions,but by far the most important decision in my life,is when I trusted Jesus as my Saviour. That decision has had such consequences for me spiritually,morally, eternally,all bound up in the person of Jesus.You cannot go wrong when you put your trust in Jesus,it is a gain,gain ,gain decision.

                                                   'Blessed assurance Jesus is mine'

A stimulant .( Psalm 55 )

 I think it was Brooks the Puritan who wrote that God often drives us to the place of prayer,by thorns.So often Israel was driven back to God by the difficulties they faced,difficulties created by their backsliding ways. We see this in the times of the Judges,in which we read that,' every man did that which right in his own eyes' (21 v25).Think of King David ,consider his turbulent history ,one trouble after another,this was the pattern of his life, even to his old age,when his son rebelled against him.Along with that pattern of difficulties he had another pattern,prayer. Most of the Psalms were written by David, and many of his Psalms are asking for protection, and deliverance from his enemies.When the enemy was at the gate what did Hezekiah do?,he prayed ,consider that wonderful prayer in 2 Kings 19 v 14 - 19.Yes he was driven to prayer,the difficulties we face are as it were a stimulant for us to pray,and to pray more earnestly. I leave with you a part of a prayer from the,'The valley of vision'.

                                          'Send your Spirit who is the searcher of my heart,

                                           to show me more of my corruptions and 

                                           helplessness,that I may flee to Thee, cling to

                                          Thee,rest on Thee,as the beginning and end of 

                                          Thy salvation.May I not vex Him by my

                                          indifference and waywardness, grieve Him by

                                         my cold welcome,resist Him by my hard rebellion.

                                         Answer my prayers, O Lord for Thy great name's

                                         sake.'

                                            

                                        

                                          

Greater love.( Romans 5 v 10 )

Some people you do remember ,Sam Jackson was one of them,he was older than me,although he was brought up in the same street that I lived in, I didn't really know him when I was young.I don't even know what he worked at,but he was a Christian, he married a girl called Lila,and they had four children, I taught one of them in my Sunday school class.Sam was one of the leaders in a young peoples work in the church ,and then one weekend he and the young people went to the Mourne Mts. It was the next day I  heard  ,there had been a fatal accident,it appears that in a attempt to save his son from falling,he fell to his death.That was a very heroic thing to do ,our lovely Saviour said,'Greater love has no one than this;to lay down one's life  for one's friends',(John 15v13)I believe Sam did that in saving his son, he showed that greater love,but there is a greater love than this, when a person lays down his life for his enemies, that 's what Jesus did on the cross CP Romans 5 v 10.The fact is, before we become Christians we are God's enemies Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worse',said Paul (1 Timothy 1 v 15) .He did that for Paul , and He will do it for you ,even though you are His enemy, and ungodly ,turn to Him ,all of us were God's enemies,we were ungodly,  unrighteous,sinners,His death on the cross ,was, and is, the greatest manifestation of love ever shown. It was the apostle Paul who wrote,'God demonstrates His own love for us in this;while we were still sinners,Christ died for us'.

The sovereignty of God (Psalm 103 v19 )

Although books like Obadiah are small, they still the word of God,that goes for books in the NT,and they should not be discounted as having no value. In 2 Timothy 3 v i6 we read,'All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting,and training in righteousness'.It is Gordon Bridger writing on Obadiah says that we will find three great truths in that book to encourage us; (The sovereignty of God ) (The judgments of God) (The triumph of God)Let us consider the first one God's sovereignty,people struggle with this truth,but if God is not sovereign,then He is not God. Gordon Bridger asks the question,' The sovereignty of God; who is really in charge?'. Here is three quotations,'God is in charge of history. He is the mover in history'.(Motyer). 'Yahweh is sovereign in the history of the entire world, and freely exercises His will therein.( Baker) . Wars are not stirred up at random,but by the secret influence of God. ( Calvin).In Amos 3 v 6, we read,' 'When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it'.I have said ,and I  will say it again,the sovereignty of God is a great mystery,in other words we can never fully explain it.Like so many things taught in God's word we have to take them by faith, even in eternity we never full grasp this doctrine .I met an old friend recently as I read God's word,'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God',(Romans 8 v28 ).Whatever we are going through now,or whatever we will go through later,hold to unto that promise from our sovereign God.

The Bible ( 2 Corinthians 3 v 1 -3 )

 I am just beginning a study of the book of  Obadiah ,it is the shortest book in the OT,and I don't think I have heard a sermon preached from it.Many of the minor prophet are neglected,they are called called the minor because they are usually much shorter than the major prophets.I have just finished Amos,and I found it very profitable,Alec Motyer's book in the series,' the Bible speaks today', it was excellent and I would  commend it to you.Don't go along with those people who say they just read the Bible,and refuse to use other godly men's writing. Take it from me ,I have been to Bible college ,been a full time minister,read the Bible through many many time,and I still use and  appreciate all the God given help I can find.Seek to get an over all understanding of the Bible,the context of each book,its author, the purpose it was written. It is a wonderful adventure reading the Bible,don't rush your reading,enjoy it, make notes,remember its a living word given to us by our living God,and it reveals unto us a living Saviour, don't be afraid to use different translation,even though you may just prefer one translation.Read the bible everyday, memorise it,meditate on it,and above all else,live it out, to the glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Judging others. ( Matthew 7 v 1- 5)

 In Matthew 7 v 1 ,we read'Do not judge,or you will be judged'.I heard something recently I want to share  with you. A man took his wife shopping,she was disabled,and if you are disabled you receive a disabled card which you display on your dashboard of your car,that enables you to park in the allotted spaces provided for those who are disabled. This the man did ,and he and his wife went to do their shopping. He left his wife in the store to take something back to his car,and then he would return to his wife.When he got to his car a man confronted him as to why he had parked  in a disabled bay ,when he wasn't  disabled.The man struck him knocking him to the ground,the result was the man died, such a tragedy,that man made a wrong judgement,and it led to a very wrong action causing the death of a poor man. Our Saviour said we are not to judge,for often our judgements our flawed,and ill conceived.Often our judgements are made from a self -righteous attitude. Michael Green wrote the following,' All to often what  we condemn in others are the weaknesses we dare not face up in ourselves'

Christian don't smile. ( Acts 16 v31 )

A man I knew told how when he was a little boy,he went with his mother to church,eventually he said to himself, ' I want to be a Christian,and he asked himself ,how can I become a Christian?. Well he thought about it and he said  ,'Christians never smile,so if I  don't smile I will be a Christian.So he went to school and a friend came to him and said do you want to hear a joke?,and he replied ,no ,'I am a Christian and Christian don't smile'.This really happened,and the good news is he did eventually become a Christian,and he did smile. So how does one  become a Christian?, well it is very easy,but its borne out of a need,you look at your life and you feel the emptiness within you ,and your conscious of  your sinfulness,the answer to all that is,'believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.'