Lost ( Luke 15

 Recently I found  five pound,but also recently I lost ten pound, then a key went missing ,I am not going to  take the blame,even though she who must be obeyed,in her heart of hearts  must have thought he is loosing the plot, never mind the key.I must confess I do not like loosing anything.I suppose I can always have the excuse,I am getting old,oh lets be honest, I am old.Many people hide behind  the softer word,they use the term senior citizens,it sounds nicer.Back to loosing things,our dear Saviour in Luke 15,speaks of three things that were lost, a  sheep,a coin,and a person, it has a happy ending,they were all found. I think sometimes  we do not take  in, the lostness of humanity.as we are born so we are all in the same boat,lost. It is recognising this important fact, often we do not want to recognise this, because the word of God says men love darkness rather than light. (John 3 v 19).Consider v 20 'Everyone who does evil hates the light,and will not come to the light because their deeds were evil'. That is what it means to be lost, hating the light ,and will not come to the light, for fear that their deeds will be exposed'.The plight of humanity is grave,make no mistake about this,hating ,resisting,and fearful, let us pray that the Holy Spirit may move in the lives of the lost ,CP John 16 v 8 - 11

None so blind as those who will not see.(Isaiah 53 v 2 )

 When a contestant appeared on TV's 'Britain's got Talent', the judges expected the worst, to all appearances it looked like she would be a flop,a 43 yr old lady,whose looks did not  portray the usual expectation .But when she sang everybody was amazed at her lovely voice,and she received rapturous applause,her name was Susan Boyle. The main judge said he learned a lesson that evening,'that one should not judge a book by it's cover '.I suppose we all can be guilty of doing that,but lets take this to a higher plane, in the book of Isaiah chap 53, 'we read of one who had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him.He would be despised and rejected by mankind'And so it came to pass, Of course it is speaking about Jesus,in spite of the miracles He performed , and His teaching that left people spellbound and amazed, and yet those who should have known better,saw him as an imposter, and one in league with the devil ( Matthew 12 v 24) their sinful, wilful  fallen nature,blinded them, to see who Jesus  really was,they knew the word of God,but they missed the true meaning of it,Yes it is so easy to know about him ,and never really know Him It reminds me of a story I heard that bears this out .There was  a gathering of people,were a famous actor was present,he was asked to give a recitation, he choose the 23 Psalm ,which begins with the words ,'The Lord my Shepherd',he spoke it faultlessly,and everyone applauded .There was also a minister present,and he was asked to take part,so he also  recited Plasm, 23,when he had finished,there was silence,and people were genuinely moved.The actor made this comment,'I knew the Psalm,but the minister knows  the shepherd' ,the question is, do you know the  Shepherd?.

 

 

If we could see (Proverbs 3 v 5 - 6

 There is so much we cannot understand,the why's are always there,but faith looks up to Gods whose ways are perfect. I often think of those words spoken to Peter by our Lord as He was about to wash his feet,''You don't understand now what I am doing.but someday you will''.(John 13 v 8),yes someday.

                                           If we could see beyond the day,as God can see;

                                           If all the clouds should roll away,the shadows flee

                                           O'er present griefs we would not fret,

                                           Each sorrow we would soon forget,

                                           For many joys are waiting yet for you and me.

                                          If we could see beyond today,As  God does know;

                                          Why dearest treasures pass away,and tears must flow;

                                          And why the darkness leads to light,

                                           Why dreary paths will soon grow bright;

                                           Some day life's wrongs will be made right,faith tells us so.

                                          '' If we could see.if we could know'' we often say,

                                             But God in love a veil does throw,across our way,

                                             We cannot see what lies before,

                                             And so we cling to Him the more,

                                             He leads us till this life is o'er, trust and obey.

Accountability (Revelation 20 v 11 -15 )

 Do you know who I am?,the police officers were dealing with some young people who had committed a road offence,when the mother of  one of the young  people turned up, She attempted to interfere in the officers doing their  duty,and when the officer challenged her,she said,'Do you know who I am?'. The lady held a position in local government, and was a rich person, so she felt she had the right to interfere.She soon found out that she hadn't,for all she was doing and saying was being videoed, she later  had to apologise and she lost her job in government. If you want to know what a person is like give them power,very few can handle power,it often blinds morally, a famous and popular President in America in spite of being married ,was involved with many women.When kings ruled they did terrible things  as in the case of Henry 8th,and so many others.Often those  with power do not think they are accountable ,to man or to God.  Power is given to us by God,( John 3 v 27),and it is not given to us to abuse that position,be it a parent, pastor,politician,or whoever. No one is free from accountability,one day those abusers of power will stand before Jesus and in my imagination  I can hear him say,'Do you know who I am'?,now that's just my imagination.but they will be held accountable that's for sure.

Silence is golden ( James 1 v13 -15)

 Luke 22 v 22, reads ,'The  Son of man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays Him''. This verse emphasises two things,Michael Wilcock puts this way,'A divine plan was being unfolded as a counter plot to that of Satan'. Jesus fulfilled that plan,with His death on  the cross,so bringing salvation to mankind.But what about Judas? yes he was of part of Satan's plot,again MW writes it is all part of the divine scheme'.Doddridge says the following,'God made man neither to save nor damm him, but for His own glory.And it is secured, whether in his salvation or damnation( 2 Corinthians 2 v 15). Nor did,nor does, God make man wicked.He made man upright. Man  makes himself wicked; and being so, God may justly appoint him to damnation for his wickedness; in doing which He glorifies His justice'. In Genesis 18 v 25,Abraham declares,'Will not the Judge of all the earth do right'.God is just,holy and loving. He will not act outside His character,many speak, on advisedly about God. There is a saying which goes,' hold your tongue',it would be good for all of us to heed the words of Ecclesiastes 5 v 2.

                                                'Do not be quick with your mouth,

                                                 do not be hasty in your heart,to

                                                  utter anything before God, God 

                                                  is in heaven and you are on earth,

                                                  so let your words be few.'

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A cup of water.( Mark 9 v 41)

 It is John the Baptist  who was approached by his disciples who were concerned that more people were  going to Jesus,and not to John. He replied,' A  person can receive only what is given them from God'. Most of my ministry  was with small churches ,small groups, nothing very dramatic, but it is important to remember, indeed very important,as to what God intrusts to us. He give Billy Graham a world wide  ministry,and there are ministers who minister to massive churches,but there many who minister  to the few, In Matthew 10 v 42, we read'And if  you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded', One writer says,'The smallest act of giving 'that's it, the words of a song comes to mind, 'If just a cup of water I place within your hand, then just a cup of water is all that I demand'. ( Words by Ira F. Stanphill ) What has He placed in your hand?, a sick loved one,your children, your husband ,your wife, some small  seemingly insignificant task,that's the cup of water He has placed in your hand,be faithful in it and you will receive  that well done  faithful servant, from your Saviour.

I once was a stranger. ( Ephesians 2 v 19 )

 I was listening to the music of a well known hymn ,'Nearer my God to lead',and I remembered  there was a time that I was a stranger to God and His ways.separated from Him by my sins (Isaiah 59 v2), far away from Him,without hope  and without God .The words of a hymn  by Robert Murray M'Cheyne sum it up,'I once was a stranger to grace and to God; I knew not my danger,and felt not by load; Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree, ''Jehovah Tsidkenu'' was nothing to me''.That's were I was for many years,but then something profound happened, in the words of that same hymn,'When free grace awoke me,by light from on high,Then legal fears shook me,I trembled to die; No refuge,no safety, in self could I see; ''Jehovah Tisdkenu'' my Saviour must be'.From that moment on I was no longer a stranger 'Now in Christ Jesus I who once was far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ'. (Ephesians 2 v 10.) A man called James Houstan was speaking and was stressing the privilege's we have been granted to the divine life of God',he wrote the following words,

                                                       'So near,so very near to God,

                                                        I cannot nearer be ,for in the

                                                        person of His Son,I am as near

                                                        as He.'