We all have a choice.( Isaiah 55 v 6-7 )

I have been  diabetic for quite a number of years, I am not on medication, and it has never caused  me any problems. In some cases it can be very serious if you do not watch your sugar intake,a neighbour of mine ignored  the warnings,showed no restraint,well he had an injury on his leg,he neglected to have it treated,gangrene set in, and then he died.I do try to watch what I eat,one think I always liked was apple pie,recently I was in a supermarket,and saw apple pies for sale,oh I would have loved to have bought one,but then I heard myself saying,'Yield not to temptation',and I didn't. One thing God has given us is the power to choose, yes we do have a choice when faced with being unfaithful to the one we are married to,we do have a choice between telling the truth or telling a lie, when we yield to sinful temptations,we sin ,and that's very serious.It might be in a major thing or minor thing, but sin is sin, there is no such thing as a venial sin or a mortal sin ,God does not differentiate  as regards sin. My neighbour choose to ignore the consequences of what he was doing,and he paid the price, if you are not saved,remember  there will be very serious consequences as regards  your sin, don't yield to the temptation of thinking that God will not judge you,He will, make the right choice and seek forgiveness by trusting Jesus as your Saviour.

He knows. ( 1 Peter 5 v7)

 Things happen and one cannot do much about it,three years ago we purchased a car for my wife,it was I who choose the car. Before we bought it I spent much time reading up on different models,one particular model stood out,it was very impressive,everything seemed right about it.The mileage was very so we eventually went and saw it ,and we liked it,and we bought it.Of course we prayed about it asking God to guide and direct us,and I believe He did. So for the next three years my wife enjoyed the car,it was lovely, but then my wife said she could heard a noise,and so we arranged to ia having a diagnostic report,when that was done they told us  it needed a new engine,which involved a good bit of money..The point is, it still has a low mileage,yes things happen,had we not prayed about it,so why had this happened?,the answer is very simple,I don't know,but here is what is important, God knows , and we can rest assured that it will work out for our good,and His glory,all things are in His hands,be what they may.I am conscious that there are those of you who are reading this ,who may be facing far more  severe difficulties,dear child of God remember He knows,yes you may not know,and you may be asking why?, I just want to encourage you to trust your loving heavenly Father,who loves you,and will never cause you ,His child to have a needless tear.

Let us magnify the grace of God. ( Galatians 6 v 18)

 I am 80,and have been following the Lord for 60 years,and as I look back on my life the words penned by John Newton come to mind,' Through many dangers, toils and snares,I have already come; Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,and grace will lead me home'. Those words speaks volumes,reading the life of John Newton one can appreciate why he wrote then,but they ring true for all of  God's children. I often hear  people who live to  a very old age, when asked  ,'what is the secret of your long life?,'and they give different reasons,but I don't think I have ever heard one say,'by the grace of God'.  I have been driving for many years,Like all of us I am not a perfect driver,how have I survived? ,by the grace of God. How  have I survived morally?,yes morally, I have no other explanation, than the grace of God.Then what about the trials that have come into our lives? things we never expected, most certainly never expected.You may have thought this should not be happening to me, even though our Saviour told us, 'that in the world we shall have tribulation,(John 16 v33) How have we come through those trials? 'by the grace of God'. I am told that there are 5 graces of God,' saving grace,sanctifying grace,strengthening grace,sharing grace,and serving grace'. As regards coming through trials  we highlight ,'strengthening grace', that grace has never dried up,and never will. Yes its true.'His grace has brought us safe thus far,and grace will will lead us home'.

Obedience ( Acts 4 v 1-22)

One of the things Hitler brought in,was for the Wehrmacht ( German armed forces) to  take an oath to God of unconditional obedience to Hitler. That came back to bite them eventually,there are those who say that oaths were for the old covenant and that Jesus taught that we of the new covenant should not take oaths (Matthew 5 v 33-37,well it is something to think about.No one except God should be given absolute or unconditional obedience,whither in marriage,employment,or the church.We see what it led to in Germany and in so many places , I want us to consider leadership within the church,looking back on church history we see the evils perpetrated by so called leaders and their followers. and the errors that were introduced by a leader who claimed to be infallible in relation to truth. Thankfully we have the example of  the apostle Paul who challenged Peter in what he was doing,as he slipped momentarily back into the old covenant (Galatians 2 v 11-21) Yes when leaders in the church are slipping into error or immorality,it is important that they should be challenged.I am not trying to stir up a revolution ,but simply to stress that we have a God given right to challenge the idea of unquestionable obedience to any human being or system.

The Gospel. ( 1Corinthians 6 v 9 - 11)

 I was watching an old movie ,in which it showed a building being erected,,and over the entrance were the following words,'Gospel Church'.Wonderful words,every church should be a Gospel church,but unfortunately its not so,many so called churches have lost their way. I read this,'The word gospel reflects the Greek word for.'' good news''. The good news is what God has done in Jesus Christ,supremely in Jesus' life,death,and resurrection. This God did in fulfillment of all that he had promise ,((Luke 24 v44) to reconcile  lost and guilty human beings to Himself,powerfully transforming them by His Spirit in anticipation of their resurrection  existence in the new heaven and the new earth'.Yes the gospel does all that,yes it is good news,we live in a world were there is so much bad news,it is great to tell people the good news of the Gospel,it is the apostle Paul who wrote,'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes'.  (Romans 1 v16),I say this with great sadness many are ashamed of the gospel,they don't like the word sin, and what it means.I read this recently,'Nowhere  does the Bible refer to our sins as mistakes, bad judgements, and slips',The Bible tells us  clearly that when we do wrong it is a sin, because it concerns us and God.If you want to get to heaven, then your only option  is to confess,and forsake your sin ,and  trust Jesus  and the good news is this, you will be forgiven'Not only will you be forgiven, Christ will break the power of sin in your life.

                                                           'Now that's good news'

Fixed on God. ( Philippians 4 v 5 - 7 )

 There is one thing I do not like is buying a car,usually a second hand one,experience tells me there may be troubles ahead,and often there is. Not only is it picking a car for myself my wife drives as well and she needs a car for her job.When I purchased my present car a person told me,' those cars are dreadful,very unreliable,I must confess I had heart palpitations,but it turned out to be a lovely little car,no ongoing problems.There are so many things that can cause us to worry and loose our peace,they can be little things,not so little things,or major things.Things that keep one awake at night ,gnaw at us, so here is a word for us all .

                                              'You will keep in perfect peace,

                                               all who trust in you,

                                               all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

                                              Trust in the Lord always,

                                               for the Lord God is an everlasting rock'  (Isaiah 26 v 3-4)

Jesus says come.( Luke 8 v26 - 39)

In  the first chapter of Isaiah Israel is challenged as to their hypocrisy,yes they went through the motions of following God, but He calls them a sinful nation,the description of them paints a very dark picture  right at the beginning judgement is forecast.He likens their condition to a person  as a  physically wreck.It is obvious that God is angry with them and it was coming to a point of no return,judgement was coming, and did come  95 yrs later, they never improved ,they only got worse CP  Ezekiel 8. Yet judgement was'n't inevitable ,here is what God said,''Come now, and let us reason together'', Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow;  though they are red like crimson,they shall be as wool. (1 v18 ) God is holding out to them His hand of forgiveness judgement need not fall, God declares'As surely as I live says the Sovereign Lord, I  take no pleasure in the death of wicked people.I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live (Ezekiel 33 v 11) This applies to a nation ,but it also applies to the individual,that no matter how wicked we are, no matter what sins we have committed, there is forgiveness by God who would have all men to be saved,we are told that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all  sin(1John 1 v7)

                                                ' Come,ye sinners,lost and hopeless,

                                                  Jesus blood can make you free;

                                                  For He saved the worst among you,

                                                  When He saved a wretch like me.

                                                      (Words Anna W. Waterman)