Being generous ( Luke 6 v 38 )

 When our Lord performed the feeding of  the 5000  John 6 there was left overs,the fact is our Lord is very generous,oh yes I know that we are told that our needs will be supplied,and that's very true,as Israel experienced in the wilderness,but there are times when are cup runs over,or overflows with His blessings. The word of God tells us He will do 'exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think'(Ephesians 3 v 20 ) God is the giving God,and here is challenge for all of us  He wants us to be like Him,to have an open hand,not a clinched fist. Remember God delights in a cheerful giver, I personally try to live up to that,but I don't always succeed ,while on holiday recently,with my wife,our son ,his wife and our two grandchildren, we went into a restaurant for a meal.  The young girl that served us very helpful and I felt I should give her a tip,let me say tipping is not necessary in our country, I only had 10 pound on me,but I wanted to give her five pound,so I didn't  give anything,but I did personally thank her .Later on I thought I should have given  her the 10 pound, I could afford to do that, it is an on going challenge,to be generous like our loving heavenly Father.

God the object of trust. ( Proverbs 3 v 5-6 )

 The word trust in reference to God appears so many times in the Bible, in  Charles Bridges commentary I found what he had to say as regards trusting in God. Proverbs 16 v20  we read, 'And  whoso trusteth in the Lord,happy is he'. 'God the object of  trust'.  This is our peaceful security in all things'- Luther said- 'in my hands,and I have lost them all. But  whatever I have been able to place in God's, I  still possess.' In this quite confidence we have nothing more to do with ourselves. A  thousand perplexing thoughts are scattered to the winds. God now takes the place once filled by my unquiet  agitations. The soul is fixed in God.  He reigns over all with an unseeing eye, and an all moving hand.' He mentions in relation to the promises of God ,'that all the world cannot rob us of one word of God.There is more reality in the least promise of God, than in the greatest performance of man. I will therefore ever trust Him on His bare word; with hope, beside hope,above hope, against hope,for the small matters of life.Never did God intend to create our happiness out of our own resources.To feel that we know nothing,that we can do nothing , contrive nothing; then to look up to Him as our supreme Good, and to trust Him as our only Friend - when was such reliance and expectation ever disappointed?.

A historical fact. ( John 14 v 6 )

 In the little town of Tintagel in Cornwall  the legendary and mystical King Arthur is remembered,there is a large center in which one can visit and  hear about him.I  spoke to the one in charge,and pointed out the obvious problems of Arthur being a legendary king,he replied,there was no evidence that he existed, and there is no  evidence that he didn't. I smiled at that answer,later while visiting a store in the town,I mentioned this to a lady ,and I pointed out that Christ was a real historical person,and that His death ,and resurrection really happened,and that when we believe in Jesus are sins are forgiven and we go to heaven. That lady was not a Christian I have prayed for her that she may be saved. It is tragic that so many believe in things  that are dubious and have no foundation of truth ,they are in fact built upon lies.Jesus said three things about Himself ,that He was the ,'Way', the 'Truth', and the ,'Life'. (John 14 v6).  Thomas A. Kempis said,' Without the way there is no going,without the truth there is no knowing,without the life,there is no living'.Let me ask you a question,do you know where you are going?if one is on the wrong road , one can get into serious trouble,and be seriously messed up.,and it doesn't end there,hell awaits.Without truth we are just playing blind mans bluff,although it is not a game,believe me it;s not. the opposite to life is death,without Christ you are dead spiritually,,only Christ can give you eternal life, He said the following  to the religious people of His day, 'unless you  believe that I am he,you shall die in your sins' (John 8 v24-25 )

Children and discipline ( Hebrew 12 v 4- 11)

 I heard a minister say that God was not a disciplinarian,I suppose the  word disciplinarian gives the impression,as it has a sense of unloving severity.that's a worldly discipline It may give the impression that God is standing over us, ready to beat us the moment we step out of place,which He is not .In Proverbs 13 v24 we read,'Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them'. Here we have a biblical,or godly discipline,as it mentions the word love, Loving discipline is good,but sometimes as Christians we can be to austere, with our children.,Ernest Hemingway's parents were very strict ,he had a mother who was domineering, and religious,and he lived under a cloud of judgement .Of course children need discipline,it was Luther who said,''Spare the rod and spoil the child,that is true,but have an apple to give them when they do well''.Having said that we may get into serious trouble if we use a rod on our children in the times we live in,but they do need discipline of some sort, but  make it loving discipline, for that's the way our loving heavenly Father treats us His children.

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'