Stillness and quietness. ( Matthew 11 v 28-30)

In Psalm 23 v 2 ,we read ,,'He leads me beside the still waters',some translations have,' quite waters',I  read somewhere that sheep do not like running water. Possible the sound frightens them off,the still waters are quite and peaceful .There is so much noise in this world,so many things pressing in upon us,were is the still quiet waters that we can go to? ,My son has written a book called,'Be still ',a simple guide to quite times.I wonder do you have a quite time?,it is surprising that many don't and rarely read their bible.In Mark 6 v31-32,we read how the disciples were very busy, and they didn't even have time to eat,and here is what our Lord said,'Come with me by yourselves to a quite place and get some rest,' So they went away  by themselves in a boat to a solitary place, How do we feel about those words?,are we willing to apply them to our own lives? are we willing to put them into action?,and if not why?. What are the reasons for not doing it?, I'll leave you to answer that,let me say earnestly we need to do it,oh yes there will be a cost,but remember if we don't do it there will be a  cost.to our spiritual wellbeing.

                                                       'There is a place of quite rest,

                                                        Near to the heart of God;

                                                        A place where sin cannot molest,

                                                        Near to the heart of God'.

The way of the Cross. ( Philippians 1 v 29 )

Chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews is a wonderful  exposition in what it means to have faith,Charles  F. Pfeiffer in his little commentary on Hebrews, divides chap 11 into three sections (1) Characteristics of faith,11 v1-3. (2) Examples of faith, 11v4-32. (3) Triumphs of faith, 11 v 33-40. I  want us to consider no 3,in these verses  those who suffered for their faith are not mentioned by name, it mentions how they suffered,'they were jeered, flogged, put in chains, imprisoned ,stoned to death, sawn in two, killed by the sword,and then there were those who went about destitute,persecuted and ill-treated'. Our Lord said we are to take up our cross and follow Him, it's obvious that the cross is an instrument of suffering,yes it is the way of the cross that leads home.There are lands in which our brothers and sisters are suffering today,I will mention one a Pastor Avedian he lives in Iran,he has been sentenced to ten years in prison,and after that  a further 10 years of deprivation of social rights.He is just one of many who are suffering in Iran. Lets us not forget those in North Korea,Eritrea ,who are also suffering greatly. We need not be surprised at the suffering of God's people,we live in a world that is at war with God, shown clearly when they crucified the Son of God.Let us pray for those who are suffering for  Christ,we may not suffer as those mentioned ,but we will  all most surely  experience different trials on our journey to our heavenly home,remember what our Saviour said ,'Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world' John 16 v 33.

                                               'I must needs go home by the way of the cross,

                                                There's no other way but this             

                                                I shall ne'er get sight of the gates of light,

                                                If the way of the cross I miss.'

                                                           Words J.B.Pounds.

                                                            

When is the time to trust? (Acts 27 v 13 - 26 )

     I read a poem it asked the same question over and over again,' When is it time to Trust?',so here are some verses from it.

                        When is the time trust?                              When is the time to trust?

                         Is it some future day?                                Is it when hopes beat high,

                        When you tried your way,                          When sunshine gilds the sky, 

                        And learned to trust and pray                      And joy and ecstasy

                        By bitter woe?                                             Fill all the heart?

                        No! for the time to trust                               No! For the time to trust

                        Is in this moments need!                              Is when our joy has fled,

                        Poor, broken,bruised reed!                           When sorrows bow the head.

                        Poor,troubled soul,make speed                     And all is cold and dead,

                               To trust  your God.                                          All else but God.

 May God grant us faith to completely trust His Word, even when other sign points the other way.C.H.P

                                                  Taken from ,'Streams in the Desert'

   

                        

                           

                                   

                               

                        

                           

                          

                             

                                                            

                                                   

                                                       

A sin is a sin for all that. ( Isaiah 5 v 20 )

 When I said homosexuality was a sin,a minister said to me that's my opinion,I thought if God says it is a sin, then that's what it is .Sin is not based on my opinion or anybodies , of course that's what many are doing, they are judging what is sin, irrespective of what God's says.  If we  go down that road then we are heading for trouble,it is in the book of Judges that we read these telling words 'Everyone did what was right in his own eyes'. (21 v25),but what they did was not right in God's eyes. We read that when David committed adultery, and murder,God was not pleased with what he had done (2 Samuel 12 v 1 ) if we go   against anything that God declares is sinful, He will not be  pleased,in fact we are told that God's wrath is revealed against all unrighteousness ( Romans 1 v 18) No matter how sin comes dressed up it is still sin, no matter how we rationalize what we do , if it is wrong in God's eyes it is sinful, it is as simple as that, and must be taken very serious. Many churches are facing a crises because the denomination they are in are compromising ,and trying to push on to them , the worlds sinful practices,and so churches are leaving those denominations. The path of sin is a dark path,we who are Christians are to walk in the light ,we cannot walk in the darkness and have fellowship with God,for God is light.If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet  walk in the darkness,we lie and do not live out the truth .( 1 John 1 v 6 )

                                         'Those who say lies are white are colour blind,

                                          yes there's none so blind as those who do not

                                          want to see'.

Don't be late. ( John 3 v 36 )

 In Revelation 6 v 15 -17, we read of Kings,and the great ones,the captains,the rich and the strong,and every slave and every free person,hiding in fear,and crying out for the rocks and the  mountains,to fall and hide them from the one seated on His Throne and the wrath of the Lamb!For the great  day of their wrath has  come ,and who can stand?.' William Barclay writes,'No one is exempt from the judgement of God,'no one whoever they are ,will be exempt ,for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3 v23)There will be no hiding place,no great escape, there will be no mercy shown, none ,the day of grace will have have passed,it will be a time of wrath,consider those words concerning the one who sits on the throne,'the wrath of the Lamb'.Yes He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,yes He who said, come and be forgiven, come and receive mercy, now He is going to pass judgement on those who rejected his offer of forgiveness,mercy and love.Alas people like William Barclay says that this wrath is a wrath of love,which is reaching out  to show His mercy .It is clearly called a day of wrath,compare Rev 21 v 5 -8.were all those who know not Christ as Saviour, will be consigned to the lake of  Fire and Brimstone'.As Christians we have been rescued from the coming wrath (1Thess 1 v10) ,but for  the unsaved they will not escape God's wrath. Bert Shadduck  wrote a hymn called 'The great judgment morning', here is the chorus.

                                               ' And O,what a weeping and wailing,

                                                As the lost were told of their fate;

                                                They cried to the rocks ,and the mountains,

                                                They prayed but their prayer was to late'.

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To know Him is to love Him. ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 17)

 I heard a lady say recently,''The more you know,you realise how little you know'',and she was talking about gardening. If truth were told I would agree with that,there appears to be no end to knowledge,yet there are some people and they appear to know everything,will near everything,There is something I would say, that everyone should know,or someone they should know, that is Jesus.He is knowable,and yet the more you know Him, the more there is to know about Him.and indeed the more you know Him the more you love Him.There are many people who know about Jesus,but yet they do not know Him personally,do you?.Why is it important to know Him personally?, because of who He is,who is He?/He is the Son God, that means He is truly man and truly God,but He is also a Saviour, there is only one Saviour. As I look at the history of mankind I see so many things that bear witness to mankind 's sinfulness,and I believe it manifests itself at a very early age and doesn't leave us.We have seen at times the awful things, like the holocaust,and the  misery that so many people suffered , but suffering did not cease after the  holocaust and things don't  appear to be getting any better.There is only one hope, that is in knowing Jesus,who will save us from ourselves and so many other things.If you don't know Him ,its about  time you did,remember He is only a prayer away

                                   'Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'

He is altogether lovely ( Isaiah 9 v 6 -7 )

 2 Corinthians 9 v15 reads,' Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift', here the writer is speaking about Jesus,he uses the word unspeakable in an attempt to describe the undescribable ,One writer has said, 'Language is ever weaker than our grief,and not seldom weaker than our love'.The writer is describing something that is beggaring description. in a sense he is lost for words..I am sure we all have had the experience of being lost for words. In John 3 v16 we read that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life'.First of all remember  before Christ came He existed as God the Son,as that second person of the Holy trinity. So when He came he laid aside that which was associated  with His divinity,yet was still divine, Philippians 2 v5-11 ,gives us a wonderful description what that involved,the limitations of being human.that meant for Him living out the role of a servant,it also meant obedience to the will of God in everything. The totality of that obedience was reached when He died on the cross,for the salvation of  sinful men and women. No wonder the writer was lost for words in relation to God's gift, 'Jesus'.