Habakkuk ( 3 v16ff)

Habakkuk the prophet reverently brought his concerns to God ,he spoke to God as to why He was not dealing with the sinfulness of Judah ,violence and injustice was rampant,and God did not appear to be doing anything .Habakkuk was a contemporary of Jeremiah who bravely challenged the kings as to their failures in not standing  for righteousness .One had to be brave to be a prophet ,for they had to tell the people not what they wanted to hear,but what they needed to hear.Habakkuk wanted action by God, it apeared to him that wasn't happening. When God did answer him,he had problems with that, judgement was coming in the form the army of the Babylonians,a very wicked and cruel people. Habukkak  was puzzeled with God's answer as to why he would use such  wicked people,When like Habakkuk we  complain to God,we want answers,you may hear what you don't want to hear.When Habakkuk considered the awful devastation that was coming,it overwhelmed him, ( 3 v16) but them his trembleing turned to praise and joy,for the Lord would be His strength (3 v19)There are times when like Habakkuk we wonder why,it appears to us that God is not doing anything,but He is. God's ways are not our ways,He knows what He is doing,also his answer to our why's as I have said, may not be what we want to hear,it may overwhelm us,but like Habakkuk the sovereign Lord will be our strength.

                                               'We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,

                                                And needing more each day Thy grace to know:

                                                Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing;

                                                 We rest in Thee,and in Thy name we go.'

                                                                Words  Edith G.Cherry

 

I am rich ( 1 John 3 v1)

 There was a moment when a person said to  me ,'you are poor',it was true in relation to my financial situation.This was when my wife and I were at Bible college.People may have said we were very naive in me leaving my job ,with a wife and three children to support,with no savings.Looking back I can appreciate why they would think that,but the word of God tells us, 'that God has chosen those who are poor  in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith'. Yes that person was right,we were poor financially,but we were rich in faith,and God honoured our faith.Let us consider 2 Corinthians 8 v 9,'But you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich,yet for your sake He became poor , so that you through His poverty mignt become rich'.This verse tells us two things about Jesus,He was rich,where was he rich? in His heavenly kingdom,in John 17 v5,He  speaks of the glory He had with the Father before the world began.Then we read that He became poor when He came into this world not to be born of rich parents,or to live in a palace,but to be born into a poor family,why?,the answer comes in the next part of 2 Cor 8 v9,'So that you through His poverty you might become rich'.When a person trusts Christ ,no matter about their lowly status in life, they becaome rich,they become Children of God,with all the blessings that brings.

                                                        Once I was clothed in rags of my sin

                                                       Wretched and poor lost and lonely within

                                                       But with wondrous compassion

                                                       The king of all kings in pity nnd love

                                                       Took me under His wings (Words Gaither)

We need Him. ( Acts 17 v 24- 31)

 I heard someone say,'God needs us more,than we need Him', imagine a person who professes to being a Christian minister saying such a thing.The fact is God does not need anything,that man who said that doesn't know God  as revealed in His word.God has no needs,none whatsoever, but what is very evident we need God.He desires that we love Him ,obey Him,and worship Him,that is what is required of us,and it is only by the grace of God can we do this,remember what our Saviour said,'apart from Me you can nothing' (Jn 15 v 5) In Acts 17 v 24-25 we read,'The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands,as if He needed anything. Rather He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.'God does not need anything from us,but we need Him totally for our existence. Saying God needs us more than we need Him,is making ourselves God,and believing that satanic lie, made to Eve (Genesis 3 v 4)When it comes to salvation many are deluded into thinking,that they don't need God to save them,blind pride is at the root of it all.The word of God tells us clearly our exsistence and our salvation is depended on Him.

The add on's. ( Psalm 119 v 128)

I heard someone say ,I love Catholics but I hate Catholicism,one could add to that by saying,I love Motmons but I hate mormonism,I love Jehovah witnesses,but hate Russelliam ,you get the picture.Our Saviour came because He loved people but He came to destroy and deliver people from false  religions.I notice that our king has visited the Vatican,to meet with the Pope,and to pray with him.There will be a lot of people would say that's wonderful, but is it?,a good question,as an Ulster man am I just being bigoted, the answer is no.Let me remind you of the five bases of the Reformation,'vScripture  alone/Grace alone/ Christ alone/  Faith alone /to the glory of God alone.In all those points the Roman Catholic Church are found wanting,One famous theologian was asked what would stop him being united with the  Roman Chatolic Church? he simply relied ,'the add on's',as regards scripture they treat church teaching,tradition, and the Apocryphal, on a par with scriptures.Which they are not,anything added unto scriptures will take us  away from the truth. As regards salvation they teach that faith in  Christ alone is not enough to save us,for them it is Christ plus works that saves/.Their teaching on Mary is no where to be found in scriptures,they call her mother of God,God does not have a mother,she was the mother of his humanity, they teach she was sinless,yet she said,'my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,in other words she needed to be saved. The adds ons will always be a barrier ,I do hope so,I have just touched on some of the errors of Catholicism.

Who are we trusting in? ( Psalm 46 v 1 )

In  2 Chronicles  14-16 we read of a king called Asa who was a very good king to start of with ,he did all in his power to turn the people of Judah back to God,exhorting them to seek the Lord and obey His laws and commands.He removed the false places of worship,he even removed his grandmother from her position as queen mother,because of her idolatry.And when he was faced with a foreign army equipped with many chariots ,and thousand of soldiers,he called  on the Lord and he gave him the victory.After the battle God spoke to him through a person Azariah,and this is what he said,'The Lord is with you when you are with Him.If you seek Him,he will be found by you,but if you forsake Him,he will forsake you'(2Chron 15v 2) Many people from Israel joined him,because they saw the lord was with him.But sad to say it didn't  last, for when another foreign  power attacked his country ,instead of seeking for deliverance from God,he went for help to a foreign king instead of trusting in the Lord.When a prophet challenged him as regards what he had done,Asa became angry with him and threw him in prison,and then he brutally oppressed  some of his people.Then he became very ill,but he did not seek help from the Lord,but only from his doctors,he eventally died.It seems to me that his stubborn will and pride took over,and he would not seek the lord.There is a very simple lesson we can learn from this as  Michael  Wilcock points out,'When Asa trusted the Lord  he was strong; when he did not, he was weak'

Are you starving your soul?

As I opened one of my daily readings ,I read these words,'The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid'  (Psalm 27v1)I am not particularly afraid  of anything at the moment,but have a concern as to people who are trying to lure me into given them opportunity of robbing me I speak of scammers.Coming back to that verse,plus others, they were like medicine to my soul.That started me of on a train of  thought as regards the Word of God, that word that brings peace into our souls,light into our darkness,comfort in our sorrows,encouragement in our struggles,and so we could go on.The scriptures are not just words they are God's words.When we read the Word of God ,He is speaking to us.When we neglect the Word of God we are neglecting  our souls well being,in a sense we are starving our souls,In  that wonderful hymn ,'Guide me ,O Thou great Jehovah',we have two lines that read,'Bread of heaven,feed me now and evermore'.Let us remember what our dear Saviour said,'Man shall not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'  ( Matthew 4 v 4)

Don't be fooled.( Lukw 23 v 39 - 43)

 R.C.Sproul said,'A lot of people think that all you have do, to go to heaven ,is die'  I have attended funerals and people think that. Can we assume  that people automaticly go to heaven,even though they have never accepted Christ as their Saviour.The answer is no,no matter how nice a person has been, that will not permit them to enter heaven. Surely  people may say thats wrong,the good people  merit the right to go to heaven ,they are not murderers,or wicked people,All this is based on human reasoning, not what God says, and when one leaves God out of the picture,we loose our way,and that can be very serious. First of all if we leave God out our lives ,then we will not get into heaven,it is not as if God does not want everyone to be saved, (1 Timothy 2 v 4)  And how do we know this? ,look to Jesus dying on the cross,ask yourself why did He died on that cross?,because we need a Saviour. Islam rules out that one needs a Saviour,that's tragic for we are all sinners.Islam is not on their own,many feel that way.But the evidence goes against it,we all our sinners,and what do sinners need? they need a Saviour,and there is only one Saviour Jesus.

                                                     'Come,ye sinners,poor and needy,

                                                      Weak and wounded,sick and sore;

                                                      Jesus ready stands to save you,

                                                      Full of pity,love, and power

                                                      He is able,

                                                      He is willing;doubt no more.'