An adventurous step of faith, ( Hebrews 11 v 8 )

 I read these words to by a writer on the book of Acts,'An adventurous step of faith', and indeed the book of Acts,is about people who took an advenurous step of faith .They didn't go to discover new lands but to establish a Kingdom different from all the kingdoms of this world,a spiritual kingdom called the Kingdom of God. For it to be established ,it would come at a cost,Paul and his fellow travellers, would suffer many hardships and difficulties,and many would pay with their lives,the list is endless it continues to this day. It often means going where others do not want to go,it means often moving out of your comfort ,read the lives of those of those who took that adventurous step of  faith,not just the biblical characters.David Livingston the Christian explorer mission, his wife died,he was attacked by a lion,suffered many illnesses,but was faithful to the gospel,and he died praying on His knees.Read the lives of so many servants of God not through tinted glasses,but what  often they had to endure.This adventurous step of faith is not a walk in the park but a walk with God,on a road less travelled.On that road your only security is God,that's the important thing,that is important thing for all of us called Christians,He is our only security,not our bank account,not our jobs or whatever.The life of following Christ is an adventurous step of faith,that means whatever it throws at us we must carry on,Have faith in Him,and you will find Him faithful,wherever we go He will be with us.Fanny Crosby  at 6wks became blind by a doctors using the wrong ointment, but she grew to be an amazingly independent person,but she wrote a hymn acknowledging her dependance on Christ,

                                                   'I must have the Saviour with me,

                                                    For I dare not walk alone.

                                                     I must feel His presence near me,

                                                     And His arms around me thrown.

                                                     Then my soul shall fear no ill,

                                                      Let Him lead me where He will,

                                                      I will go without a murmer,

                                                      And His footsteps follow still.'

                                                     

                                                    

He cares ( Hebrews 4 v14-16 )

During the second world war the cities in England were bombed, a few days into the Blitz  Churchill visited the docklands in the East End of London . 'Fires were still raging all over the place', some of the larger buildings were mere  skeletons,and many of the smaller house had been reduced to rubble.Churchill stopped at an aid -raid shelter where 40 people had been killed. Near by was a crowd of people,all seemingly very poor,one would have been resentful at what was happening and even blamed Churchill,but as he got out of the his car,they mobbed him,and were heard to cry,'Good old Winnie' they cried.' we thought you'd come and see us.We can take it.Give it'em back.' Churchill broke down,and some old lady was heard to say'You see,he really cares;he's crying'.Yes he cared,yes it is very touching when someone cares.The shortest verse in the  Bible reads,'He wept' (John 11 v 35) it is speaking of Jesus who stood outside the tomb of a dear friend who had died, why did He weep? because He cared, He showed His  care in the feeding of the hungry,the healing of the sick,and most of all His death on Calvary.He still cares us,and we are told in 1Peter 5 v7,to cast all our cares upon Him,for He cares for us '

                                                     'Does Jesus care when my way is dark

                                                      With a name-less dread and fear?

                                                      As the daylight fades into deep nightshades,

                                                      Does He care enough to be near?

                                                      O yes He cares; I know He cares, 

                                                      His heart is touched with my grief;

                                                      When the  days are weary,the long nights

                                                      dreary,I know my Saviour cares'.

We are secure if. ( Revelation19 v 6)

 It was Napoleon who said,'What a slender thread the greatest of things can hang by'I wonder why he said that?,it could have been as regards his last great battle were he was defeated at Waterloo.When victory seemed secured until Marshall Blucher came back to support Wellingtons army. There is proverb that goes,

                                                   'For want of a nail the shoe was lost,

                                                    For want of a shoe the horse was lost,

                                                    For want of a rider the message was lost,

                                                    For want of a message the battle was lost.'

                                                               'All for want of a nail.

It reminds us that a seemingly unimportat acts can have grave consequences, Leave God out of ones  life and what are we left with ,'silver threads',bring God into your life and one can proclaim that your times are in His hands,( Psalms 31 v 15)No man can pluck us out of His hands,when we trust Christ as Saviour then we are safe and secure.So let us look beyond Napoleon's 'slender thread',to our great  God and Saviour who has the whole world in His hands.'

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 '