Love is. ( 1 Corinthians 13v 4) 1

 We can read 1 Corinthians 13 many times as regards  the qualities of love,and fail to live them out in our lives, the first quality mentioned is ,'Patience' it is William Barclay who writes,'this word always describes patience with people and not patience with circumstances'.If one is married ,and have children you will I guarantee ,have to exercise patience.why? because you love the one you married,and the children you have.Christ exercised this loving quality with his disciples,espcially with Peter the betrayer.I often think how patient God is with me, I'm sure we would all testify to that,but are we willing to be like Him with those who are unkind and hurt us,those who get on our nerves?. William Barclay tells the story of Abraham Lincoln who  had to endure insults from a fellow politician called  Stanton, he called him a low cunning clown,the ''original gorilla''. Yet when war came he made him his war minister, because he was the best man for the job.Abe always treated him with courtesy, and when the president was assassinated, Stanton wept,and said''There lies the greatest ruler  of men the world has ever known''.W B comments 'The patience of love had conquered'.

Invite Him in. ( Luke 18 v 35- 43)

One of my sons told me of a married couple who recently came to Lord,and  that the lady had died suuddenly from an brain aneurysm,she was in her fifties. It is sad and one feels for the love ones, but mingled with the sorrow there is the joy of knowing that the lady is in heaven not in hell.So many people are so careless as regards to their eternal destiny,that lady by the grace of God is now safely in heaven rejoicing in the presence of  Christ her Saviour. What a comfort that is to her husband and family,and it appears that it has been a wake up call to her daughter who wants to become a Christian. The word of God tells us to seek the Lord while he may be found to call on Him while He is near (Isaiah 55 v6) The living translation puts it like this,'Seek the Lord while you can find Him'.In the Song of Solomon in chapter 5 we have the groom coming to go into his bride,the bride is in her bed and she hears him coming, and calling to be let in,but she replies, how she had taken of her robe and was in bed,did he expect her to get dressed again and washed again,Her lover kept on knocking and asking to get in.His knocking created in her a desire to have  him ,so she rose to let him in,but he had got tired of waiting and left. In Luke 24 v 13ff we read of how our Lord met up with two people, walking home, He ministered to them,and it really touched their hearts, and when they came to where they lived , He acted as if He was going further,but they urged Him strongly,saying,'stay with us'. Someone has said that He did not force Himself on them,He waited tell they invited Him to stay.

                                                    ' Pass me not,O gracious Saviour,

                                                      Hear my humble cry;

                                                      While on others Thou art calling,

                                                       Do not pass me by'

                                                             Fanny J.Crosby

Our loving heavenly Father.( John 1 v 12 )

 The Lord's Prayer '.( Matthew 6 v 9-13 )When our young Pastor came,he had us praying the Lord's prayer in an up to date translation,nothing wrong with that,but most of us love the AV version,so  he now leads us in  praying  from the AV ,a wise decision. Some see it as the disciples prayer ,one writer says Luke's version was written to Gentiles who needed to know how to pray, (Luke 11 v1) were as Matthews version was directed toward Jewish people who needed to know how to pray correctly.  It starts ,'Our Father which art in heaven',the word Father has an intimacy about it,for its translated from the  word,'Abba',Jesus often used that word ,it was the word a child would use of their daddy ,my sons usually call me dad.Winston Churchill loved  his father,but he was a very distant father,hardly ever spoke to him,very rarely saw him,and was very critical of him,no affection was shown to him.Humam fathers can often be a pure reflection of what a father should be. Not so our Father in heaven ,He is the perfect Father,who loves us so very much, though He is a heavenly Father He is not distant, we can reach Him instantly in our prayers,He is all a Father should be,and more,yes He will chastise us,rebuke us,but He will also care for us and stick up for us.We must never be familar with Him, friendly but never familar ,we must regard Him as holy and sacred.

                                                       'Great God! and wilt Thou condescend

                                                       To be my Father and my friend?

                                                        I, a poor child,and Thou so high,

                                                        The Lord of earth and air and sky.'

                                                                    'The answer is yes

                                                                     when we trust Jesus

                                                                      as our Saviour'

Lost. ( Luke 19 v 10)

When I was very  young a church held  a meeting  in which  the children sung a song,I suppose I remember it because I started crying,but I do remember the song we sung,It was written by Jim Ed Brown,here are some of the words to it,''W'e poor little lambs who have lost  their way,Baa,baa,baa, Doomed from here to eternity,Lord have mercy on such as we'.It is in Isaiah 53 v 6 we read,' All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way'. That scripture tells us something very important, that we all are like sheep that are lost , consider the word all ,that encludes everyone, and that means everyone  is not going God's way, but our own way.just consider the state of  humanity,and ask yourself why.? From the moment our first parents sinned we started to go away from God,and so it continues.But the good news is this that Jesus has come to seek and to save that which is lost. (Luke15 v3-7 )The fact is God loves the lost so much so that He sent Jesus into this world to seek and to save that which was lost,but it cost Jesus everything,when He died on the cross for sinners like you and me.

                                             'I would not do without you, O Saviour  of the Lost,

                                              Whose precious blood redeemed me,at such 

                                               tremendous cost,

                                               Thy righteousness my pardon,Thy precious blood 

                                                must be,

                                                 My only hope and comfort,my glory and my plea.

                                                              Words  Frances Ridley .Havergale'

Be still. ( Psalm 46) 3

 One last look at Psalm 46 and verses 8-11, over verse 8 we could put the words,' Consider and tremble',  When God moves against a nation ,there is no hiding place,Sodom and Gomorrah is a witness to that,(Genesis 19)God is to be feared,when  Nineveh heard that God's judgement was coming upon them ,fear filled their hearts,they took it very very serious,and rightly so.God has not changed,the nations of the world should take note.From God the great and awesome one who judges and destroys,to the God who can make wars to cease,yes he can, it's sad when we hear people say,I can stop the wars,as if they are God,it is all about them,what they can do,the pride of man ,is the folly of man,Hitler made the boast that the Third Reich would last a thousand years,it lasted 12 years. We are told that God opposes the proud,but shows favour to the humble (1 Peter 5 v 5). Next we move on to v10 ,it starts with two words,'Be still ',unlike the ungodly whose hearts are failing them for fear,the children of God must look beyond the natural,to the spiritual, to our God who is sovereign who brings princes to naught,and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing(Isaiah 40 v 23)So last but not least we come to verse11,  which reads,'The  Lord Almighty  is with us,the God of Jacob is our fortress' .Just before John Wesley died he was heard  to say these words,'The best of all is God is with us', and he repeated it again'.

                                                       'Be still and know that I am God'

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Gods Word.( Hebrews 4 v12 ) 2

 Let us consider v 4-7,of Psalm 46.He speaks of a river that makes glad the city of God. There was no river in Jerusalem,but it represents an image of God who is with God's children,and is a source of peace and calmness,a picture of security amidst all the conflicts and turmoil that is in the world.I remember many years ago a missionary from Nigeria shared the following,'It was a time of great conflict,and he was very afraid for his life,he had a severe headache,that was when God spoke to him from Psalm 34 v7,'The angel of the Lord encamps around  those who fear Him;and He delivers  them'When he read that he lay down and went asleep. Commenting on v6 'He lifts His voice,the earth mealts,' Spurgeon says,'How mighty is the word of God! How mighty the Incarnate Word! O that such a word would come from the excellent glory to even now melt all hearts in love to Jesus, and to end for ever all persecutions, wars, and rebellions of men!

Therefore. ( Psalm 46 ) 1

Psalm 46 was known as Luthers Psalm, he lived in dangerous times,and often when times were difficult and dark he would sing this Psalm. Likewise when the friends of the reformation were dispirited ,Luther would say ''Come let us sing the 46th Psalm'.I think sometimes in our desire to make eveything up to date,with our modern songs,which I don't mind,but in so doing we miss out the blessing of singing the Psalms.This Psalm was not written by David but by the Sons of Korah.It is divided into 3 parts v1-3/4-7/8-11.  Verse 1 reads ,'God is our refuge ,and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.' We live in a troubled world ,but  in all our troubles we have God whom we can call on,in all our times of trouble.Then you have one of those 'Therefore's'because our God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble,we should not fear,even though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea,though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake (shake)with their surging'.

                                                   'Troubles there are many,some our very great,

                                                    but our God is greater'