Anxiety. ( Psalm 23 )

 I must confess as I grow older I get a bit more stressed, a bit more anxious, especially as regards driving,Im all right locally,but I let my wife do the long distant driving. One could feel condemned and even judged by saying about being anxious,but I'm encouragd by what David wrote in Psalm 139 v 23 ,'Search me,O God,and know my heart; Try me, and know my  anxieties'Surely one would think that David the great warrior,the giant slayer would not be anxious about anything,but he was. It is not a sin to be anxious,it is what you do with your anxiety,that matters,remember God is not standing over us condemning us. When Moses was called by God, he was very anxious (Exodus 3), in Philippians 4 v 6-7,the apostle Paul writes.' Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known   unto God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus'.

                                                           'Take your anxieties to Him'

                                            

Grit ( Hebrews 13 v5-6)

A writer in one of my devotionals ,speaks about having grit,he gives examples of people who showed grit. One person describes grit as a combination of passion and perseverance,over a long time,decades, even for a life time. That sense of keeping ,right on to the end of the road,in spite of  all the difficulties,and obstacles one has to face. So that's it? , there is more to it than that,hear is what Moses said to God,'If your prescence does not go with us,do not send us up from here (Exodus 33 v 15)His  prescence makes all the difference.My youngest son was about to have a serious operation,he confessed that he was scared,so I texted him the words of Isaiah 41v 10,the opening words read,'So do not fear,For I am with you,' those words helped him.Yes me need grit ,but above all else we need His reassuring presence with us.Fanny Crosby wrote a lovely hymn, hear are two verses.

                                                     ' I must  have the Saviour with me,

                                                       For I dare not walk alone;

                                                       I must feel His prescence with me,

                                                        And His arm around me thrown.

                                                        Then my soul shall fear no ill;

                                                         Let Him lead me where He will,

                                                         I will go without a murmur,

                                                         And His footsteps follow still'

His kingdom come. ( Matthew 6 v 9-13)

I am just about to read another book called,'Fall of Civilizations', their  greatness and decline , I hope I am going to enjoy it.Think of the 'Babylonian Empire' it  lasted about 300yrs,the Roman  Empire lasted about 500yrs. the British Empire lasted nearly 400yrs.Hitlers third Reich lasted for 12 yrs in stead of the 1,000 yrs that Hitler declared.These are just a few examples of the many empires that have been and have gone,they had all this in common,a beginning and an  ending. In 2 Corinthians 4 v 14 ,we are told that what is seen is temporary,that includes kingdoms.There is a kingdom that will have no end, it is the Kingdom of God,in  Daniel 7 v 27 we read ,'His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,and in Luke 1 v33,an angel  declared 'His kingdom will never end.' Rulers of earthly kingdoms are but brief players on the stage of history,as we all are.But the Kingdom of God is everlasting  and the one who rules that kingdom is none other than the eternal Son of God. Let us rejoice in the glorious future that we God's children will have in that eternal kingdom.

One day at a time . (Galatians 6 v 9-10)

 John Harrison said ,'Live everyday as if its your last,each day is a gift;' yes its a good reminder ,but the Christian does not stop there,life here is very important, it is gift from God,for in Him we live and move and have our being,as Christians we are to live each day to the glory of God.Remember our deeds and our words follow us into eternity,how will they be judged CP 1 Corinthians 3 v 10-15.There the Christian is not being judged for their sins,but the true nature of all that we have done,it speaks of  rewards v14.We are to live everyday in the light of Christ's coming,we know not the day or the hour of His coming. The world, the unsaved are in for an awful surprise,the Christ they opposed,the Christ they hated,the Christ of  their own making,yes there are mulitudes who will see not a prophet but a Saviour,but He will not be their Saviour he will be their judge .Yes each day is a gift, and that gift is from God,lets not waste it,every day opens opportunities,to do good,to encourage and  help someone,there is an old song goes,

                                                       'If I can help somebody ,as I pass along

                                                        If I can help somebody with a word or song

                                                        If I can help somebody,from doing wrong

                                                         No, my living shall not be in vain'.

                                                                  Words Alma.B. Androzzo

True love. ( 1 Corinthians 15 v 3)

There must be so many people who don't know what love is,there are many  reasons for that,for some love means lust,for others it means possessions,power and so many other things.But they never really get into the meaning of true love.It is in 1 John 3 v16,we read of such love in it's fullness, here is what it says,'This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us.'Let us consider true love, where do we find true love?,the answer is ,the God who is love  ( 1 John 4 v 8) ,what proof have we of that ?,It is the same John that tells us,'This is how we know what love is:Jesus Christ laid down His life for us,' (1 John 3 v16) that laying down of his life meant death on a cross,the crulety of such a death was terrible ,even before he got to the cross he experienced brute savagery from His captors. Isaiah describes His appearance  on the cross,' His appearance was so disfigured beyond any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness' ( Iaaiah 52 v 14)This was cruelty beyond cruelty, but it did not stop there,He knew what was going to happen next, it would be a suffering more severe than his terrible phyisical suffering,for we read,' It was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer . (Isa 53 v 10)The verse goes on to tell us that it was an offering for sin,whose sin? our sin,why ? because of love,a love that says I will suffer for their sins, that those who trust in me ,will not go to hell but go to heaven , now thats true love.

                                                     'It was for me my Saviour died

                                                      On Calvary's cross was crucifled'

                                                                Words S.L.Long.

                                                               

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Blindness ( Luke 4 v 18- 19)

It was John Newton who wrote the words ,'I once was blind but I now I see',I was speaking to two Jw's recently.I get frustrated talking to them,So this is what I said to them ,'When I say,'And the word was God' (John 1 v1),they reply ,'it doesn't mean that.' When I say Jesus is the mighty God,(Isaiah9 v6) they  reply,'it doesn't mean that'. When I say,'He was equal with God,they reply.,'It doesnt mean that'.When I say ,'For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, (Colossians 1 v 19)they reply,'It doesn't mean that'.When I repeat what Thomas said ,'My Lord and my God,(John 20 v28) they reply ,'it doesn't mean that'.You get the picture,why do they not see the truth of those words?. The reason is they are blind spiritually,and what I say as regards the Jw's,applies also to the Jews.(Romans 11 v 25),in fact it can be applied to every human being (2 Corinthians 4 v4) Along with that blindness the unsaved have a nature that is sinfull,willfull,as one has put it,'There is none so blind, as those who will not see'.  John Newton wrote of experiencing the amazing grace, that changed everything.

                                                      'Long my imprisoned  spirit lay

                                                    Fast bound in sin and natures night;

                                                    Thine eyes  diffused a quickening ray,

                                                    I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

                                                    My chains fell off, my heart was free;

                                                     I rose,went forth,and followed Thee.'

                                                                       Charles Wesley

God's chosen (1 Corinthians 1 v 26 - 31)

It sometime appears that when a big personality shows interest in Christianity that we make a lot of it, but should we?,the answer is no.Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,Christianity is not a personality cult.There are people who have a following ,and we hold them up as more special than others but are they,no.Many in the church at Corinth  had as one writer says taken their eyes of Christ,and began focusing on personalities,and Paul had to challenge that. Of course we honour those who should be  honoured,but lets not go beyond that.In God's eyes  we are all the same,sinners,and we will receive no preferential treatment from God. Those we consider the best of men,are imperfect,let us never forget that, and let us keep our eyes on Jesus.I know of two very well known personalites,one a best selling Christian author,and yet he denied that Christ was God.The other was a well known authour ,wrote some books,and yet denied the virgin birth.Paul in his effort to challenge the personality cult,wrote the following as regards those who were following Paul,or Apollos,that they were mere human beings,only servants.(1Corinthians3 v 4-5) I read the following,a well know minister ,was asked did he know C.S,Lewis,he replied he did,and the person said can I touch you ,don't put people on a pedestal,they may fall off it.