Justification (Romans 5 v1)

 There are three tenses in relation to salvation,(1)  Justification (past) (2) Sanctification (present) (3) Glorification (Future) Let us consider them briefly,so let us start at number one Justification ,it is that moment in time when you trust Jesus to be your Saviour.Convicted by the Holy Spirit you came to Christ to forgive you all your sins,we are all sinners and so we all need forgiveness,its as simple as that.In our unsaved state we are all shut out from the presence of God,Justification comes through faith in Christ not by our good works,but by the work  of Christ on the cross.Our sins are all forgiven by simple faith,God no longer sees our sins,and alongside that,God imparts unto us the righteousness of Christ.

                                                        ' Tis God that justifies

                                            Who shall recall the pardon or the grace,

                                         Or who the broken chain replace of guilt replace

                                                          'Tis God  that justifies'

                                                         (Words  Horatius Bonar )

                                                                       

Tears ( Psalm 34 v18)

 I am reading the life of Winstone Churchill and often you read of him crying,and yet he was a manly person,brave and courageous.Tears are very important in our lives they give release as regards sorrow,I remember attending the funeral of my brothers wife,after the commital friends and family met for a time ,and a number of us sat with my brother,and I said something nice about how he felt his dear wife.It appeared to embarrass him ,as if he didn't want to show emotion, It should not embarrass someone if they shed tears at the loss of a loved one.The Bible is full of people who shed tears,Joseph was a man who shed many tears,(  Genesis 42 v24/ 45 v2/14/43v30/50 v1/17)They were not tears of anger or wanting vengance,but  love  for those brothers who had caused him so much pain. King David experience a lot pain in his life ,at a time when he and his men lost everything we read 'that they wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.' ( 1 Samuel 30 v4)It could have been from that experience he wrote ,'Weeping may stay for the night but rejoicing comes in the morning',( Psalm 30 v5),for he and his men recovered all that they had lost.We can all have that experience when God can turn  our tears into rejoicing.if not in ths world but in heaven, we are told that our God will wipe every tear from our eyes. (Revelation21v4)Last but not least let us consider Peter the one who denied his Lord he was the one who foolishly boasted that he was prepared to go to prison and die with his Lord (Luke 22 v33),but it was not to be,three time he denied Him.Just as he had spoken the third time the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter,and we we read ,'And he went outside and wept bitterly'(v62) From these tears he would learn so many things about himself. Ira F. Stamphill wrote the following ,

                                            'He washed my eyes with tears,that I might see,

                                             The broken heart I had was good for me

                                             He tore it all a part,and looked inside,

                                             And found it full of fear,so much foolish pride.'

                                              'What are you learning through your tears? '

                                             

                                                      

                                                 

1 Samuel 30 

Prayer a need. (James 5 v 17-18 )

 Daniel was a man of prayer,daily he prayed three times (Dan 6 v 10).we do not have to be like Daniel,it would be good if we  were.But one thing for sure we need to pray,it must be a priorty in all our lives,when should one pray,I have set times of prayer,but of course I pray regularly through the day.I very rarely close my eyes when I pray,especially when I'm driving.I love writing about prayer ,there is so much one can say about prayer. First let me say it is not something one  does to impress people,or even God,or even ourselves.Prayer is a very personal thing,not something one should boast about,it is not to gain browie points,no its connecting with God,bringing all things to Him,praise,petition,and personal.Many people live very busy lives,with challenges each day,they may have deadlines to meet.God undersands all about us and the pressures's we are under,but the fact is because of those things we need to pray,and when we do we will receive the help we need,the wisdom we need,the guidance we need ,and the protection we need,and so on.The pressures's we face are not meant to drive us away from God,but to God, and so one must avail oneself to prayer,He will always welcome us into His presence,always. Although our Saviour told us to pray in secret (Matthew 6 v 5-6) understand why in its conext. It is not wrong to tell people you pray for them,it will encourage them,and even offer to pray with people,but don't be pushy.Remember  as a Christian you have the Holy Spirit who will help you in your prayers,

Burdens ( Isaiah 1 v18)

 Life is often filled with burdens,people are burden with debt, and a mulitude of other things,it is the nature of life.This may seem a negative thing to say,yes it would be if I just left it there,but the wonderful thing is ,there is one we can always turn to,God. Consider ,all of us have done wrong in life,we have told lies,yielded to temptation,the list is endless,what secret wrong are you carrying?,you try and push it away,but it comes back to hunt you.You may have tried to justify what you done,but it doesn't work.The fact is no matter how much we try to paper over the things we have done wrong,they don't go away, nor will they,we may try to brazen it out,but it is still there.I am sure as we look around yes even in church,there are those who have hidden secret sins .There are no secret sins when it comes to God, Hebrews 4 v 13 reads,' Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.Everything is uncovered and laid bear before His eyes of Him to whom we must give account.'My advice is, respond to the voice of conscience for one day you will give an account  before God ,be sure your sin will find you out,on that day.While there is still breath in your body there is hope,for you can turn to Christ and have all your sins forgiven,no matter how great they have been,if you will seriously seek forgiveness He will forgive.  Ignore this to your cost,for on judgment day there will be no place for repentance,on that day if you have not trusted Christ as your Saviour,you will carry those sins into sins into eternity.

                                                         'Burdens are lifted at Calvary'

Why did He come ? (1 Timothy 1 v 12 -17 )

On the tombstone of John Newton we read, 'Once an inifdel and libertine( given to sensual pleasures) a servant of slaves in  Africa,was by the rich mercies of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,preserved ,restored ,pardoned and appointed to preach the faith he had long sought to destroy'. This is something he never forgot and I'm sure  it inspired him to write the hymn ,'Amazing grace reminds me that we should never think anyone is so bad that God won't save them,or can't save them,for Jesus came into the world to save sinners,it is a gospel for the whosoever,that is the bad,the very bad,and the very,very bad,that means you and me. The hymn writer wrote ,' There's a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea;' Before John Newton died he said''My memory is nearly gone , but I remember two things,that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour''.

                                                      

                                                 'Here is a trustworthy saying that  deserves 

                                                 full  acceptance; Christ Jesus came into the 

                                                 world to save sinners'.

                                                               1 Timothy 1 v 15)

                                                 

                                                 

Obedience ( Psalm 51)

 It was Spurgeon who wrote of  ' the folly which is satisfied  with hearing God's word and neglecting do  what it says'.How imporant it is to be not just a hearer of the word as one translation puts it,'Do not merely listen to the word,and so decive yourselves.Do what it says. (James 1 v22)   Obedience can be costly,but disobedience can be even more costly.The unsaved pay a terrible price by not obeying the gospel,a price so awful, so terrible,let us remind you that hell is real.For us who have obeyed the gospel  we can rejoice in all blessing that has brought us into,forgiveness freedom and the presence of God. But obedience to the gospel brings us into lifetime of obeying God, The days of doing things our way is finished with,everyday brings the challenge of doing it God's way. The days of running with  the crowd are gone,instead we are now under the challenge ,of walking in obedience to our Lord and Saviour. We as Christians have the Holy Spirit within us and when we grieve the Holy Spirit by our disobience,it will affect our relationship with God,the word of God tells us if we have sin in our lives the Lord will not hear us when we pray He will not listen to us (Psalm 66 v18).Your  peace will go ,joy will go,a sense of God's nearness will go, but all is not lost,repent seek forgiveness, and fellowship with God will be restored.(1 John 1 v 9) 

We just don't know. ( 1 Corinthians 13 v12)

A person called Mikail Bakunin was touched by Beethoven's ninth symphony said in praise of that music,''Everything will pass, and the world will perish, but the ninth symphony will remain''.Part of that saying is true but not it all,for according to scripture this world and the things of this world will pass and indeed perish.It is James who spells it out very clearly when he writes ,'But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bear'.(2 Pet 3 v10) CP Matthew 24 v35.We are destroying this world by the things we do to it.but in God's time it will be totally destroyed by God himself. But that is not the end of the story for as Christians we look for a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3 v13),and most wonderful of all , it will be where righteousness dwells.It will be a holy existence and so it will be a happy existence,as regards Beethovens ninth symphony ,well even though its a lovely piece of music,I don't think it will follow us into eternity or into heaven ,some people might want Mozart,or whoever,and that may just disturb the harmony of heaven,so I think not.The word of God tells us ,'No eye has seen,no hear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.( 2 Corinthians 2 v 9)

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