Have courage.( 2 Timothy 4 v 1 -5)

 When one is a preacher of the gospel one must show a certain amount of courage, to speak the truth without fear or favour .I have attended funerals were the minister has miserable failed to be faithful to  their calling.It was the apostle Paul who was about to appear before Caesar asked the saints at Ephesus to pray for him,'That whenever I speak ,words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known   the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly ,as I should'. (Eph 6 v 19-20 )  Thomas Brooks a  renowned Puritan wrote the following.' Faithful ministers have a need to cry aloud,they have need to be courageous and zealous, to awaken sinners,that none may go sleeping  to hell. Cowardice in a minister is cruelty; if he fears the faces of men, he is a murderer of souls.'

Losses and Crosses. ( John 21 v 20 -22 )

 Just recently a friend told me that he met his ex--Pastor  and his wife,they told him they no longer believed in God, they said that people had hurt them in the church. I know from experience that one will receive hurts yes even from Christians,especially if you are a leader. The greatest leader who ever lived  was our Saviour , he experienced  many hurts,even from his own disciples,in fact it was a battle all the way for Him,but He just kept going on,likewise the apostle Paul had more than his fair share of troubles from Christians CP Philippians 1 v 15- 17. I personally had hurts in the church that I pastored, whatever the rights or wrongs ,one should still carry on in the faith,wherever the hurts come from. Not only should we carry on ,we are to have a spirit of forgiveness, our Saviour taught us to love our enemies and pray for them .Matthew 5 v 44.Let not hate for your fellow Christians fill your heart ,if a fellow Christian hurts you, remember.'Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother or sister is still in darkness 1 John 2v9. Let me stress, hurts come to us from many directions, from fellow Christians, from non Christians, from painful experiences,from losses to crosses. That last word is important,for remember what our dear Saviour said ,'take up your cross and follow me'. Matthew 10 v 38.

                                'I traveled down a lonely road, and no one seemed to care,

                                The burden on my weary back,had bowed me to despair;

                                 I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me,

                                 And then I heard Him  say so tenderly,My feet were also weary

                                 Upon the Calvary road,The cross became so heavy,

                                  I fell beneath the load,Be faithful ,weary pilgrim,

                                  The morning I can see- Just lift  your cross,

                                                and follow close to Me.'             (Words Ira F . Stanphill)

                                                     

                                                      

Not a comparison site. ( Romans 12 v 1 -8)

 When I need to insure my car,or my house I go on a comparison site,that's fair enough. When a new manager of a football takes over from a successful manager,his performance will be judged by the past manager's performance. Sometimes people come out of a family with a bad reputation and they are compared to that family . Salvation is not a comparison  site,there are people who compare themselves with others,they actually think that Christianity is for goody,goodies,not realising that every Christian is a sinner saved by grace and that has transformed their lives.Of course every Christian is a work in progress, yes there are no perfect people in the church of Christ.We are all different and even as Christians we must not compare ourselves to other Christians,we must keep our eyes of  people,we must not be overwhelmed by others,because they are more gifted that you or me.If we do that we could so easily be afraid to accomplish anything,or do anything.God has given all his Children gifts ,don't be afraid to use them,or even be ashamed of them.I read daily devotions and they often bless me,but they do not intimidate me from writing this blog, God  has given us different gifts for doing certain things well (Romans 12 v 6),if you step outside your gift,you will be a square peg in a round hole,it is John Stott who says the following .' We must avoid  both to high  an estimate  of ourselves and Paul might have added too low an estimate'.( Rom 12 v 3)

Facing Death. ( Luke 23v 39 -43 )

 I visited a dear brother in a hospice,he is a godly man,and of course the fact that he is in a hospice means he has not long to live. He found it difficult to speak so our conversation was limited,I read the scriptures at his request, it was from Romans 8 v 28-39. When I had finished reading,he repeated the words,'That neither death nor life'.the readings end with the words....'.can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord'. Yes death does not have the final say,One writer says the following,'Death is not the end;it is only ''the gate on the skyline'' leading to the presence of Jesus Christ'. I prayed with that dear brother,he held in his hand a wooden cross,for the Christian the cross reminds us that we are no longer alienated from God.We no longer stand condemned before a holy God,no longer does  the wrath of God rest upon us,no longer is heaven shut to us,why ? because of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.In heaven we will cry out,'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain'.(Revelation 5 v 12)The Cross is the only way humanity can be saved and have hope for eternity.

                                                           ' There is victory in Jesus'

All things new. ( 21 v 1- 5 )

 I met a friend when out shopping she is two years older than me 82,she can walk but needs the use of a mobility scooter. She mentioned she needs two new knees,and two hip joints,I jokingly said to her she should go the 'Body Shop',(it sells perfume),well she laughed. In Psalm 139 v4 we read,'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made'. yes that is so true,but,there's that but again,it wears down,to a point when we need more than body parts. Shakespeare wrote of the ,'Seven ages of man',highlighting the different periods of our existence,the last being ,'dotage and death'.In the 12th chap of Ecclesiastes there is a very descriptive passage of our bodies decline . The Message puts it like this,'Your hair turns apple-blossom white. Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body'. Sorry folks that's the way it is, but its not the end of the story for the Christian,in Revelation 21 v 5 we have Jesus declaring,'I am making everything new!.' In 1 Corinthians 15,we have spelt out what that  means as regards our future bodies,first of all it will be a spiritually body,from earthly beings to  heavenly beings,we will all be changed,from that which is perishable to an imperishable being,from being mortal to being immortal,death will have died,everlasting life commences,the future will not only be bright, it will be glorious,and here is a wonderful truth we shall be like Jesus. (1 John 3 v 2 )

                                          ' Yes wonder of wonders ,we shall be like Jesus'

Easy street. (Hebrews 12 v 1 - 13 )

 Someone said ,'When things are easy the Christian tends to stray from the path, whereas trouble sends him back to the word,of God'. Someone put this heading over  Deuteronomy 8, 'Do not forget the Lord'. Israel was about to enter the promised land,God had brought them through so much, He had delivered them from the Egyptians who had oppressed them and made them slaves. In spite of what God did Israel was not always faithful but God remained  faithful ,now the promised land lay ahead, As they were about to enter the land God spoke to them .He said when you possess the land, they were to obey His commands,and if they did they would prosper. We all want prosperity,but God knows the the human heart,so He tells them, 'Do not forget the Lord your God , and all that,that meant.They must not forget that their prosperity comes from God, their history,shows clearly they did forget ( Jeremiah 2 v11ff) Consider the lives of two godly people,David and Solomon,David was now king ,God had delivered him from so much,things were easier,but he strayed from the path of righteousness in a big way(2 Samuel 11)Then Solomon ,he was abundantly blessed but what do we read, he turned to false god's,(1 Kings 11).If you are on easy street remember it is so easy to take ones eyes of God  and stray from our Saviour. For Israel it had consequences,likewise for David and Solomon,and for all who stray from the path,God will deal with you, yes He  loves you,but remember whom He loveth He disciplines.

Blockage ( Lamentations 3 v 40)

 Every now again I pour a certain liquid down my drains, to clear any blockage,blockage has consequences.It caused me think about the things that come into our lives that can be classed as a blockage ,the result they have consequences in our relationship with God.It would be a good idea to pray what the Psalmist prayed.'Search me ,O God, and know my heart ; test me me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you,and lead me along the path of everlasting life'. (Psalm 139 v 23 -24 ) Francis Bottome wrote a hymn  based on the words from that Psalm, here are the words from that hymn.

                            'Search me, O God! my actions try,and let my life appear

                            As seen by Thine all searching eye,To mine my ways make clear.

                            Search all my sense and know my heart,who canst make known

                            And let the deep, the hidden part ,To me be fully shown.

                            Throw light into the darkened cells,where passions reign within;

                            Quicken my conscience till it feels, the loathsomeness of sin.

                             Search all my thoughts,the secret springs, the motives that control;

                             The rebel heart where evil things, hold empire o'er my soul.

                             Search,till Thy fiery glance! i'ts holy light through all

                             And I by grace am brought at last,before Thy face to fall.

                            Thus prostrate I shall learn of Thee,what now I feebly prove,

                             That God alone in Christ can be Unutterable love'