Go. ( Romans 10 v 13- 15)

After the Sunday service at the church I attend,a number of us go out for meal, not just for a meal, but for a time of fellowship,and we usally all enjoy it.I arrived first at  the resturant ,and went to the table we were going to have our meal.There was a married couple there and I struck up a conversation with them and I witnessed to them for a short period,I could see that the lady was not interested,but I managed to briefly tell them about trusting Christ ,and left it at that,not entirely I have brought it to God in prayer.My experience in wittnessing to people is that not many are seeking after God, on the whole in our modern societies the words of Romans 3 v 11 are appropriate ,'that no one seeks after God'. Our Saviour said  that 'He had come to seek and to save',  (Luke 19 v 10 )and that is what we have to do,it is a challenge ,that we can't ignor. Remember we are dealing with fallen humanity no matter how nice they may appear,they are held captive by satan,they are lost and they don't even know it.Now think about it, that's the way you and I were,we are in a struggle for the souls of men,women,and young people. It is a life and death  situation that we are faced with,the barricades are up,they won't come down easily.We must pray,and witness faithfully,and not give up, it appears to me that I have been a sower,but that's important,hopefully there will be those who will reap what I have sown,and that the Lord will give the increase. Our dear Saviour said in Mark 16 v 15.

                                               'Go into all the world and preach the gospel'

Ask ( Matthew 6 v33)

 In the Matthew 6 v 11 we read,'Give us this day our daily bread', I remember many years ago my dear Pastor said that prayer was not for now,simply because in the West we have all we need . I didn't say anything to him, but I didn't agree with Him. For it is obivious that there are many people who have very little,and when my wife and I attended Bible college we had very little money,and often we had no food in the house,and that prayer was very appropiate,and God did answer our prayers.We are told that in Philippians 4 v19  that our God shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus'. Let's face it our needs may go further than a loaf of bread,we need to pay our mortgage or the rent, we need to run a car, maybe it needs repaired,we need to pay the energy bills,and so we could go on. We are told 'Ask , and it will be given to you',(Matthew 7 v7) that's the promise from God ,someone has written ''He will not renege on the promise'' He will definitely keep His word and will not go back on what he has promised'.Remember your heavenly Father knows all that you have need of, and we can be assured that God will undertake for us.One source may dry up,but God will supply our need from another source .( 1 Kings 17 v7 -9)

                                                        'Great is Thy faithfulness'

Selfishness ( Philippians 2 v 3 - 5 )

 Corrie-ten-Boom said,'Selfishness had a life of its own', I supposed most of us at times are selfish,it may be blatant,a certain politician said ,'it is my country first'.I understand the love of ones country,and the love of ones family, But as a Christian I know that we are not encouraged to be selfish,our Saviour said ,'Love your neighbour as yourself',(Mark 12 v 31) In Luke 17 v33 our Saviour also said,'Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it,and whoever loses their life will preserve it',one commentator said this,'If you prioritize your own self interest,above all else you will ultimately lose out'. Most dictators are self engrossed people,anyone whom they percieve as a threat,will be eliminated. I know of Christian minister who was called to a certain church,and in that church there was a godly man who was on the leadership of that church. He saw him as threat to his position ,he wasn't.Before that minister came to the church, that godly man could have been the leader of that church,but he turned it down,he was no threat to that minister.Yet that minister did everything he could to get rid of that man,the man eventually left. It reminds me of the words the apostle John wrote to a certain church ,' Diotrephes who loves to be first,will not welcome us'. ( 3John v 9)Eventually I believe God removed that minister, selfishness has its own reward .In Rom15 v 3 we read.

                                                     'Christ did not please Himself'

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Small things. ( Zechariah 4 v 10)

 Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were in a Holocaust concentration campand the story is told how Corrie wanted a handkerchief,she told her sister.Well said Betsie we will pray about it,Corrie laughed at the idea of praying to God for a handkerchieh,but Betsie never the less prayed. A short time after this a lady who worked in the laundy,knocked on their hut,and said to them,that she had been making handkerchiehs out of old sheets,and she felt that Corrie would want one. There is nothing we can't pray to God about,God does not despise our small request,in fact I believe that He is pleased when we do.  Often I pray for a parking space,or were did I leave my glasses, or some other things.Some  people would say don't bother God with such trivia,oh He is too busy to be bothered with that,but not so.The verse of a song written by Cathy Viljoen wrote the folllowing.

                                                   ' Oh, He never will say I'm to busy today

                                                    Every tear,everycare, He's promised He will share.

                                                    And although He's the Lord of all glory.

                                                    Yet He's only a prayer away'

                                                          'Carry everything to God in prayer '

He is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)

 There are two scriptures that most people know, the first is the 23rd Psalm,and the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6 v9-13/Luke 11 v2 -4 ) The two start with  the relatonship that a saint has with God, in Psalm 23 v1 we read,'The Lord is my Shepherd',the Lord's prayer commences.'Our Father',becoming a Christian brings one into a wonderful close relationship,He is not a far of distant diety,unfeeling and uncaring.the 23rd Psalm highlights Davids confidence that all his needs will be provided,He will experience the Lord's refreshing and restoring care. He will guide him along right paths,bringing honour to His name.That the valley of death which he will  have to go through,will hold no fears,because the Lord will be with him.He will also know God's comfort and protection from his enemies ,for the Lord will  pour out His abundant care and provision upon him.He is assured that the Lord's goodness and mercy is life long. When his life is over he will go as Matthew Henry writes,' to a better country, where there are many mansions'. ( John 14 v 2)

                                                             'Jesus is that good Shepherd'

                                                                        John 10 v11.

The Giraffe Women ( John 14 v16 )

 The Giraffe women live in Myanmar and also live in  Thailand,when they are young they have brass coils put round their necks,and each year another one is added,and so gradually the neck is  stretched,hence the name Giraffe women.It is very detrimental to the body,it is very heavy,and can be very painful,the rings cannot be removed as it would lead to suffocation.It is banned in Myanmar but not in Thialand,They are mainly animists a belief that  plants rocks trees indeed everything is spiritual ,but some of these people have a little of Roman Catholicism in them.Some of them consult chicken bones as regards making decisions. In Romans 1 v 21-23 we read, 'of those whose minds became dark and confused.Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshipping the glorious,ever living God.They worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles'.It is very sad when one reads such things, John Stott writes 'That the culural  idolatry of the West is no better. To exchange the worship of the living God for the modern onbsession with wealth, fame and power is equally foolish and equally  blameworthy'. In Isaiah 45 v 21 we read,'There is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Saviour,there is none but Me'. Christ came ,because of humanities  darkness,the word of God tells us that they love darkness more that light,in fact they hate the light, and they sought to extinguish Him who is the light of the world,by klling Him on a cross.But praise God they didn't succeed, for He rose from the dead and lives to today in an endless life,and He declares.

                                                       'Whoever follows Me will not

                                                        walk in darkness, but will have

                                                        the light of life'

                                                                ( John 8 v 12)

                                                      

He implanted a song. ( 1Peter 1 v6-7)

Just think when Paul became a Christian he was told how much he would suffer by our Lord, (Acts 9 v16) I wonder how we would feel, if we knew that trusting Jesus would mean suffering ,would we want to become a Christian? Why are we surprised at this,our Saviour never promised any of us that we wouldn't suffer ,he said these words, ''Whoever wants to be my disciple must deney themselves and take up their cross and follow Me'' (Matthew 16 v24) There are many in this world who know that if they trusted  Jesus there would be a heavy cost ,we can name so many countries that is a grim reality. As regards Paul and his suffering,one has said,'Jesus sacrifice and suffered providing the way of salvation.Paul's will ensure the offer of salvation reaches the people'.  The apostle Paul during his life ,experienced a great deal of sufferring( 2 Corinthians 11 v 23-29) I want to highlight an occassion on which he suffered,we read it about in Acts 16,in the city of Philippi,Paul and Silas were arrested and severely flogged and then thrown into prison with their feet in the stocks.Then we read that at midnight they were praying and singing,they were not singing in the rain ,they were singing in their pain.They were singing praises to God ,what they did is a challenge to all of us,anyone can sing when the sun is shining bright, but what about when we are experencing pain and difficulties ,I will leave some words from the following  song.

                                       'There is never a night so dreary ,there is never a night so long

                                        But the soul that is trusting in Jesus,will somewhere find a song.

                                        There is never a care or burden,there's never a grief or a loss,

                                        But Jesus in love will lighten, when carried to the cross.

                                        Wonderful,wonderful,Jesus,In the heart He implanted a song,

                                         A song of deliverance, of courage of strength;

                                         In the heart He implanted a song.    ( Words Annie B. Russel)