Creation (Genesis 1 v 1/ Colossians 1 v 16)

I have just come in from my garden watching the bumble bees,I found them fascinating the bumble bee does not produce honey,the bee that does produce honey is called a honey bee.The bumble bee collects nectar a surgary liquid that provides them energy whereas pollen is a source of food for developing bee  larvae,They also play a role in pollenating flowers and crops, big time.I am just amazed and filled with awe at God's creation,The poet  Joyce Kilmes wrote ,'Poems are made by fools like me,but only God can make a tree'.Likewise I would add ,'only God can make a bee,and only God can make you and me.'.

                                                  'It all happened by chance,not a chance'

                                                                      R.C.Sproul

Man know thyself( 2 Corinthians 1 v 8 v 10)

 I read these words from a prayer,'Lord save me from myself', yes what honest words they are,spoken by a humble child of God.So many of us do not appreciate our weakness,and as the hymn writer puts it, 'prone to leave the God we love'.It was Socrates who said ,'Man know thyelf',for often we fail to see ourselves as we should,warts an all,Peter foolishly boasted that he would lay down his life for Christ (John 13 v37),and my he blew it big time.We may be saved but the old nature has not  been eradicated(1 John 1 v 8).Samson was a very strong man,but he had his weaknesses,Soloman was a very wise man,but he did evil in the sight of Lord (1 Kings 11 v 6). The apostle Paul was the greatest of the apostles ,but he declared ,that it was through Christ that he could do all things.(Philippians 4 v13)How serious do we take the words spoken by our Saviour ,'apart from me you can do nothing( John 15 v 5) Sennacherib and his great army were threatening Jerusalem ,here is what King  Hezekiah said to the people of God,'Be  strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or  discouraged because the king of  Assyris and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us to help us and to fight our battles''is the Lord our God.'( 2  Chronicles 32v 7-8) 

                                                     '  Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

                                                       Stand in His strength alone;

                                                       The arm of flesh will fail you,

                                                       You dare not trust your own;'

                                                                 Words G.Duffield

                                              

Waiting time. ( Psalm 37 v7)

 Waiting is a big part of the humam experience, I  wonder how many accidents have been caused,by people being impatient,likewise how many problems have been caused by being impatient.It is said patience is a virtue ,but alas not many have that virtue. In the movie Braveheart ,William Wallace is leading the Scottish army against the English,the English army was larger and more powerful than tha Scottish army. As the English army advances William's army grows apprehensive their enemy gets nearer ,and nearer,but they could hear  William Wallace's  voice cry out,'Hold,Hold,Hold the line.The English army is near upon them,when William cries out,'Now',the line kneels down and picks up long spears,which they used to impale the knights and their horses,and of course they won the battle that day.They would have not won if they had not waited,waiting is very important,especially waiting for that God's moment when He  will act. David was in a horrible situation,but he declares ,'I waited patiently for the Lord;He turned to me and heard my cry'.( Psalm 40 v1)In Psalm 27,David again is facing enemies,but David has put his confidence in the Lord,in verse 13 he declares,'I remain confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living'.Having said that He declares,for his benefit and for ours,'Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord'.  (Ps 27 v14)

Sowing and reaping.( Romans 1 v 24- 28)

 Our Saviour said,' One  sows and another reaps'(John 4 v 37) which is very true,this is a quotation from the book of Hosea,of what God  said to His own specical people.(8 v7)  They had forsaken Him. choosing other god's,and choosing the sinful pleasures of life.They had sown the wind ,now they were going to reap the sinful conequences of their actions.A certain upperclass man in the Victorian era embezzled funds for a particular cause,and he was sent to prison.When there a friend visited him,he was sowing mail bags,his friend spoke to him,saying I see your sowing,he looked at his friend and replied,'I'm not sowing, I'm reaping'.Whatever we sow in life,there will be a reaping.When Jesus said those words to his disciples ,He was reminding them of those of a former generations who had done the hard work,and it would be His disciples who would reap the benefits.Someoe has said, 'Many ministry succeeds, not by its own force and merits,but because of some saintly man who lived and preached and died and left an influence which was greater in his absence than in his presence'.

That's Paul speaking. ( Proverbs 3 v1-2 / Hosea 4 v6)

 A friend of mine challenged somone about something they were doing wrong from scripture,and the person replied,'oh that's Paul speaking'.In other words it is not God speaking ,it is Paul speaking and we don't have to obey that particular thing.It is Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 v37,declares 'If anyone thinks  himself to be a prophet or spiritual,let him acknowledge that the things I write to you are the commandments of the Lord'.In other words the thirteen letters he wrote is the word of God.Likewise all the books we have in the New Covenant scriptures,are the word of God,likewise all the Old Covenant books are the word of God also. If we start tearing out of the scriptures the pieces we don't agree with ,then we are underminding the word of God.I often talk to JWs,and you say to them Christ is God ( John 1v1 )they will say it dosen't mean that,and that's what will say,with every scripture you show them,it dosen't mean that'.Then there are Christian leaders who  ignor and reject God's moral standards as revealed in God's word,and so undermind the scriptures. Our Christian faith is  built upon all the scriptures,we cannot tear out pages in the Bible we don't agree with,where would that leave us?. 2 Timothy 3 v15-16  reads ,'the sacred writings ,which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching,for reproof,for correction,and for training in righteousness'These words tell us something of the utmost importance,that through the scriptures  we are made wise unto salvation, John Stott says ,'the Bible is essentially a handbook of salvation'.and as one commentator says ,'It will help us grow in spiritual maturity,and holiness, and help us to avoid the many pitfalls in life'.

They are watching us ( John 13 v12 ff)

The early church's had their problems,and so letters sent by the apostles would deal  with these things, one example is the two letters sent to the church in Thessalonica,by  the apostle Paul deals with a number of issues, I will mention three .(1) Those who  refused to work (2 v 6ff) (2 ) False teachers. (2 v2 -4)  (3) Persecutions ( 1 v4)Lets consider the first one,those refusing  to work ( 2  These  3 v 6ff),the believers are told to stay away from them,he uses the term ,'These Loafers',Paul is not writing of those who can't work but those who do not want to work,who as one commentator says,'they  were temperamentally lazy and sponging on the generous members of the church,and others that they had imbibed the Greek disdain for manual labour' There were others who had stopped working because of the belief in the imminence of the Lord's return.'Paul had told them in his first letter to return to work but they did not heed his words.Paul  speaks of such people as being disruptive,he reminds them of what he had told them, that those refusing to work should not receive any food.But then he reminds them how when he and his companions were with them, they worked day and night,so as not to be a burden to anyone,and would not eat anybodies food with paying them for it.'Paul and his friends  practiced what they preached,by their example. Our dear Saviour did the same thing when He washed the disciples feet ( John 13 v2 ff) I remember  somene saying  as to the unbelievers  ,'They are watching us',we may not realise that people are watching us.our children are,,our neighbours are ,and so on.

                                                     'Let us lead by example'

What then? ( Romans 6 V 23)

 As a Christian we have hope that goes beyond this world,the unsaved have not got that hope,what hope what I am talking about? 'HEAVEN'. All their hope is earthly based,that's as far as it goes.There is story about a elderly man who asked a young man what was his aim in life?,well I want to go to college and get an education,the man said ,'what then?'. The young man replied,'well I will get a good job,get married ,have a family,again he was asked  the question,'What then?'.Well he replied I will retire and just live out the rest of my days,and the man replied,'what then?. Yes 'what then', that young man had no other hope other than this world,and that young man will go to a lost eternity, to a place of no hope whatsoever,death is not the end,there are two destinies,one is hell and the other is heaven,it goes without saying that I am going to heaven,I hope that you will be heaven and not in hell.That will depend if you have  asked Christ to be your Saviour,if you don't know Him as your Saviour you will not go heaven and you most certainly will go to hell.What I am writing may appear unfeeling,but it is not,I write it out a deep concern for those who do not know Christ as their Saviour,