Looking for loopholes.( Luke 14 v 15 - 23)

 There was a man who thought he could escape from doing God's will ,hoping that God would let him go his own way. Well it all began when God spoke very clearly to him as to what he wanted him to do ,it was simple but challenging he had to speak to a certain people,ah not just a certain people ,but a  people that were very wicked.He didn't appear to like them, in fact he may have hated them.Now this man knew his God and that knew He would forgive this people,if they forsook  their evil ways.God's like that.It appeared to that man that God was wrong,not only wrong but very wrong,if He let that people of the Hook,after all God is a just God ,one who hates evil,like those wicked people ,they should get what's coming to them,even if they repented.To that man it was beyond a joke what God was asking him to do,and although he didn't say anything to God,he was really thinking ,how can I get out this?,I don't want to do this,and its not right that should God should ask him do this,WC. Fields was a famous entertainer,and had many mistresses,he was ill in hospital and a friend visited him,and he saw that he was reading a Bible,and he asked him why was he reading a Bible,WC answered ,'I'm looking for loopholes'. the man whom God was speaking to ,was looking for loopholes, his name was Jonah.We are all a bit like Jonah, when God speaks to us to do something we don't like, we look for loopholes,like Moses we say,''Please send someone else'.! Well we will finish there , we may turn to it again tomorrow.

Prayer. ( 1 Chronicles 16 v 11 )

 Our pastors wife was in the process of being an hospital chaplin,I spoke to her about out it,and I said I would pray for her. On a later occasion I spoke to as to how she was getting on?,She said she had done to funeral services,and she further said that was finding it difficult,but then she said I remembered Billy was praying for me,and that helped her a lot.I was encouraged to hear that,and it was a reminder that when you know someone is praying for you it makes a difference,it is an encouragement. We can pray for people but  we can also pray with people,like the lady in our fellowship who is grieving over the lost of a son,and I prayed with her. I later visited her and her husband,and of course I talked with then ,and read God's word and prayed with them,and they wherever so thankful,and grateful. One of my sons and his wife spent time in Ibiza,leading a team who ministered to mainly young people ,what they usually did was to pray with them,and usually they responded. Dont ever think in a negative way as regards prayer,our dear Saviour encouraged us not to give up praying (Luke 18 v1 )There is much so to pray about ,people in your church need your prayers ,the district were God has placed you,there are so many people who need our prayers.It is not a pointless exercise,your prayers will make a difference,be assured of that.Alfred Tennyson wrote, ''Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer,than the world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice rise fot me day and night'. Someone wrote the following based on 2 Corinthians 10 v4.

                                    ''We use God's mighty weapons to knock down  

                                     the strongholds  of human reasoning  and to 

                                     destroy,false arguments.Prayer is the weapon''

                                        

What's in a name? (Revelation 5 v5 )

 My wife and I have just returned from seeing our 5th great grandchild, he is only 3 months old,a lovely little boy,his first name is Judah.I read once that at the time of John Calvin (who ministered in Geneva)  parents had to choose the names of their  children  from the OT,Jonny Cash used to sing a song about a man , whose father named him,Sue,he wasn't pleased. One of my friends said ,'Your family is growing like the children of Israel, and even using their names' .Judah was Leahs forth Child, she was married to Jacob, but she was not loved by her husband .(Genesis 29 v31),but God loved her  and he blessed her with six sons,and .and the name of one was Judah whose name means praise.One of the tribes of Israel was called after Judah ,and from that tribe came a great king called  David,and from that tribe  also was born a greater by far ,Jesus who is King of Kings.In Gen 49 v9 ,Jacob called Judah,'a lion cub' ,and the Lion of Judah is a  national  cultural symbol  of the nation of Israel.But in Revealation  5 v5 we read of 'The lion of the tribe of Judah,the root of David,has triumphed' ,yes He triumphed,for the lion of the tribe of Judah is none other than Jesus ,who won the victory over 'Sin ,Death,and Satan'

                                    'For the conquering Saviour shall break every chain,

                                     And give us the victory again and again'.

                                                   Words H.Q,Wilson.

,

What if ? (Matthew 6 v 25-34)

 It is so easy to let fear take over our lives, one way in which we let that happen ,and I will  sum it up in this way,'What if ?'.We go on a journey and we think ,what if  the car breaks down?,what if we get a puncture?. If one was to go on a cruise we thing what if we get food poison,think of what if's when you decide to move home.or change jobs.Everyday you will think about the what if's,you may say to yourself .In the Tom Hanks movie''Bridge of Spies''.when he was asked the Soviet spy if He's not worried about his situation,the spy replies,''Would it help''.He essentially is saying worrying about the situation won't change the outcome.In  Matthew 6 v25ff our Saviour said the same thing,but he said more than that, what more did He say? He said 'Look at the birds of the air,they do not sow or reap,or store away in barnes,and yet your heavenly Father feeds them, are you not much more valuable than them .He adds something else, 'Do  not worry ,your heavenly Father knows your needs.He also adds this ,'Seek first His kingdom and His rightousness,and all these things will be given to you.'

                                                 'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

                                                  For tomorrow will worry about itself.

                                                  Each day has enough trouble of its own;

                               

                                           

                                                     

                                                     

Glory (Jude v25)

 After the battle of Gettysburg ,which the South lost, General Lee tried to console one the  South's generals, a General Pickett,this is what he said ,'' General Pickett,you and your men hsve covered yourselves with glory'' Pickett replied ''Not all the glory in the world, General Lee,can atone for the widows and orphans this day made''Often we have an ill-informed  idea of glory. Kenneth  E.Baily points out that there are five applications  for glory in the Bible. (1)The glory of  God ,in His creation  Psalm 19 v1,and 'glory to God in the highest.' Luke 2 v14. (2 ) The glory of Jesus , John 14v1. (3) The glory to be revealed at the end times, 1 Peter 5v1/4, (4) glory and believers1Peter, 5 v1.  Glory in suffering 1 Peter 5v10'. Consider number one  as regards creation,mankind are blind to that ,and continually rob God of His glory. Number two.'The glory of Jesus',at this present time, his glory is hid from us, and of course the unbeliever is blind to it.But one day all will see Christ ,and all will bow the knee and every tongue  acknowledge that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2v10-11. Number four, 1Peter 5 v1. written to the elders of the churches in Asia Minor reminding them that those who suffer for Christ shall be glorified with Him. Number  five. 'glory in suffering', in Romans 5 v3 ,Paul writes 'We also glory in suffering ,because it produces perseverance.character, and hope, God has a purpose in all His dealings with us.

                                       'Glory to God the father,and to the Son ,and to the Holy Ghost'

Our Helper ( Psalm 121)

 There are 15 songs of  ascents,they were sung by the pilgrims as they travelled to Jerusalem,so let us consider Psalm 121. a firm favourite of many of Gods people.the first two verses  goes  '  I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? I come from Belfast and during the second world war,Belfast was bombed,before the bombers came a siren would sound , warning the people of an air raid,we lived of the Castlereagh Road,  which lead to the Castlereagh Hills,and to those hills our family and others would make their way for safety. Now the Paslmist  asks the question ,'where does my help come from?', the answer is very simple,'From the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth'. The universe,planet earth,did not just happen our great triune God made everything ,and He is our helper.Do you need help today ? look to your great God,say to yourself ,'My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth, that means that whatever help you need He will provide protection,provision, He will not fail you,we will fail Him,but He will not fail us,He has given us His word.Someone wrote the following.

                                                   'God keep me safe from harm and sin ,

                                                    Thy Spirit keep; the Lord  watch o'er

                                                    Thy going out,thy coming in,

                                                     From this time,evermore'.

 

If only. ( Psalm 81)

Psalm 81 speaks of Israel being set free  from their slavery in Egypt ,the opening verses commence by exhorting  then to sing and to praise God.God had removed the burden they had been carrying,and when they had been in distress God had rescued them, but He had tested them.and also warned then not to worship other gods but worship Him.But they would not listen and they refused to submit to God,so He left them to their own devices. Verse 13 reads ,' Oh, that my people would listen to Me,that Israel would walk in my ways',oh what  difference that would have made.It is Scroggie who comments,'It is a sad thing  when they who had been delivered from Egyptian bondage go into Babylonian captivity'. Our Lord Jesus lamented over Jerusalem ,in Matthew 23 v37  we read,'O Jerusalem,Jerusalem,the city that kills the prophets  and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me'.Israel acted like so many stubborn children that refused to listen to a loving mother and a loving father,and found out to their cost,that they should hsve listened. How many people have listed to the Gospel,and rejected it,and paid an awful price,their lives have been ruined,and their soul lost for all eternity, The safest thing,and the wisest thing one could ever do,is to listen to God and obey Him.