What God requires ( Micah 6 v 8)

 We look at certain religions and our horrified at the brutality they engage in,but sad to say as one looks back in history there were those who came under the banner of Christianity,and they acted very cruel.How can one defend Henry the V111 ,and how he treated his wives,in his pursuit to have a male heir.Someone has said that so much of Christianity is good but often it has been unkind.How can one justify torturing people, and burning people at the stake.Philip the second of Spain was a very religious person yet he founded the Spanish Inquisition with all its hideousness. In my own country women who had children outside of marriage ,were treated like criminals put into institutions and abused one way or the other.The men who fathered the children got off scot free, we could also mention the abuse that many dear children  suffered at the hands of religious people.and the cover up by religious authorities As Christians we must never condon sin, we want to see sinners saved,repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus,we are not against the wrong doer being punished, every society should have just laws,but not cruel laws.

                                                                  W. Barclay  

                              'So many good Church people would have sided with the rulers

                               and not with Jesus if they had had to deal with the woman taken 

                               in adultery'

Holiness. ( 2 Timothy 1 v 9-10)

 Someone asked how would you de scribe holiness?the answer John Stott gives is Christlikeness,yes I would agree with that,in Romans 8 v 29,we read,'That God has predestined us tobe conformed to the image of His Son'. Is it possible to be like Jesus?,we can, but how? in ourselves it is impossible, in Romans 8 v 26 we read,'The Spirit helps us in our weakness'.the fact is the Christian life is not a do it yourself religion,some people say Christianity is not religion,it is a relationship.I believe that is so ,while we do religious activities,but it's my  relationship with God that is the core being of my life.It is understood if one considers an Old Testament saint Enoch, who we are told, that he walked faithfully with God (Genesis 5 v 21) and in that walk he pleased God. (Hebrews 11 v 5) Was he perfect? the answer is no,there are people who believe  that one can experience sinless perfection,it is impossible. I have only met one person who was perfect,Jesus, we read in Hebrews 7 v26, that He was ''Holy,harmless, '',undefiled separated from sinners''He claimed to be perfectly sinless (John 8 v46), We must always remember that Jesus was truly man and truly God, so it follows that He was sinless. Here is the wonderful thing,  one day we will be sinless ,perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus'.Just a footnote ,holiness of the saints is an evidence,just as works are.

                                                   'There is no sin in heaven;

                                                    Behold that blessed throng,

                                                    All holy is their spotless robe,

                                                     All holy is there song'

                                                                F.M.Knollis

                                                                          

Grief and pain, ( Psalm 55 v 22)

                                In the musical ,'Miserables', two lines from one of the songs goes,

                                               'There's a grief that can' t be spoken,

                                                Ther's a pain that goes on and on'

Those words,that experience could be written over many peoples lives, the context of those words concern those who died in an uprising against a goverment,The song expresses the feelings of one of their  comrades who didn't die,he feels guilt that he hadn't died with them,and now he's left with the grief and pain that will not go away. People die in wars,in accidents,a mother looses a new born baby, and so it goes on.But its not just in relation to death ,marriage breakups that can affect children for the rest of their lives. So many get hurt in  many ways that leave them with a grief and pain that won't go away.We  forget  that we live in a broken world full of broken people.It was never meant to be this way but all  changed when sin entered into this world.Job who knew his fair share of troubles wrote,'How  frail is humanity!How short is life,how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither.Like a passing shadow,we quickly disappear'. (Job 14 v 1) One way or another we all will experience pain and grief,that will not leave us. I love those words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 11 v 28,' Come to Me, all of you  who are weary and carry heaven burdens,and I will give you rest'.He alone can only meet the needs of the human heart  and give peace,in our sorrows he can be our comforter in our darkest moments, He can be our healer in our grief and pain. .Remember He has walked the road that we are walking and experienced what  we are going through,and so He says ,'come to Me.'

                                                      'No one understands like Jesus'

Honour God. ( 1 Samuel 2 v 30 )

Just recently one of my grandsons wives had a baby boy, he told me it's weight , and its name,'Judah, William, Heasley.I was emotional ,to think that he honoured me in this way,for my name is William,One of my other sons called one of his sons William in honour of me.One of the commandments has a promise attached to it, it is the 5th commandment'Honour your father and your mother,so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you'. Thomas Watson writes,'Honour is shown to parents in relieving their wants'.This is something that is pleasing to God, I have known children who have treated their elderly parents badly,God is not pleased with that. God is the Christians heavenly Father and we should always honour Him in all things in our obedience,in our service.You may have heard of Eric Lidell a great athlete,his parents where Scottish,and where missionaries in China,that was were Eric  was born. but he was brought up in Scotland. He played rugby for Scotland, but he excelled in athletics ,he was chosen to run in the 1924 Paris Olympics.He was a 100m runner but that created a problem for it was to be held on Sunday/Sabbath,and his Christians convictions would not allow him to run on that day.So he choose to run the  400m.On the morning of the event someone handed him a slip of paper with these words on it,'In the old book it says; 'He that honours Me I will honour them'.he won the race.

                                                       'In all things let us honour God'

More than Conquerors. ( Ephesians 6 v 10- 18)

Some religions are very violent we read about them everyday, I could give you many examples of the awful things they do to people,Dr Lloyd Jones wrote the following,'There is no violence in Christianity,no one should ever be forced or even bribed to become a Christian .Likewise  there should be no threats made to anyone who leaves Christianity,,that's their choice. It is not by the sword we conquer,so how do we conquer?by love,by the Word of God, and by the Spirit of God. Love is expressed and seen in many ways, when a mother gives the last food in the house to her children,and she goes without.Love is when you give out of your poverty ,love is when you give your life for another,Such was the love manifested by Jesus, when he not only died on that cross,but He also bore the punishment for our sins,yes He did it out of love. We conquer by God's word,'The writer of the Message makes these telling remarks on Hebrews 4 v12, 'His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel,laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it,no  matter what'Yes we conquer by God's Word.We also conquer by God's Spirit,every child of God has the Spirit of God within them.By God's Spirit we live the Christian life,and by that Spirit we can be overcomers,by that Spirit God can use us in His kingdom, and by that Spirit God can use us in His service and our efforts to win the lost.

Trust ( Luke 18 v 13 )

 In 1956 in the United States congress an act was passed,that on the dollar these words would be  displayed,''In God we trust'' these are very commendable words , There are millions of people who handle dollar notes everyday, and they possible never look at those words.Of course there are many who don't believe in God,and their trust is in so many other things. Think of all the things people trust in ,self is one,it was Ernest Henly who wrote ,  ''I am the master of my fate,and the captain of my soul'', it means as one person said,''I'm in the driving seat''. or I am in control of my life . Trust is very important in marriage and in our dealings with people, when trust is broken it can be very serious.What about trust in God how important is that? those who put those words on the dollar must have thought so,but times have changed.Yet in another sense times have not changed,people are still the same as they always were,wars still rage,crime has not gone away.The meaning of life has not gone away ,and mankinds fallen nature has not gone away,and believe it or not God has not gone away ,or our need of Him. Why do we need God?, the answer is very simple,we are sinners,not just imperfect,but sinners,the fruits of that manifest itself in a multitude of ways .I often say to people what we most need is a Saviour,everyone of us.Brokenness,and evil abounds, there are none of us who are truly innocent, none, and it doesn't end when we die,hell is real.It can all change for the better when we trust in God, and ask Jesus to be our Saviour.

                                     'I heard the voice of Jesus say, I am this dark world's light,

                                     Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,and all thy days be bright,

                                     I looked to Jesus and I found in Him my Star and Sun;

                                     And in that light of life I'll walk,till travelling days are done'

                                                                Words H.Bonar.

A God led day.( Exodus 33 v15 )

 The word of God says,'Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring'.( Proverbs 27 v1), The world is full of people making boasts about what they are going to do as regards tomorrow. The Christian should know better, yet even Christians  fall into the trap of boasting about tomorrow, knowing a truth does not mean that we live up to it.We are clearly told ,'that in all our ways acknowledge God ,and He will direct our paths' (Proverbs 3 v 6) Charles Bridges comments,' Take one step at a time,every step under Divine  authority.Every plan for yourself in simple dependence on God, He loves to be consulted'.Run not bfore Him ,let Him be your guide, for He will lead you in the right way,as sure as He led Israel to the promised land. God's way will always be perfect he makes no mistakes,even though it be a difficult way,it will be the best way.Make every day a 'God led day',may you not be guilty of vain  boasting,let your boasting be of God and His faithfulness in leading you in the path of life.

                                              'Hold Thou my hand! so weak I am,and helpless;

                                               I dare not take one step without Thy aid!

                                               Hold Thou my hand! for then,O loving Saviour,

                                               No dread of ill shall make my soul afraid'

                                                              Words , Grace J. France