The goodside. [ Psalm 145 ]

The last day of another year, this year has held many things,tears, fears,worries, concerns, maybe for you the loss of a loved one. Yet it has held blessings, each new day we have experienced Gods faithfulness,I look back with gratitude , I have had enough to eat and drink, clothes to wear, so the list goes on. But the one thing above all else ,that has remained constant, my Saviours presence, everyday I have been conscious of Him. I have mention what we may call the downside of life tears etc, and yet those things have their goodside, in that they draw us to God,to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him. Andrae Crouch wrote,/ I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys. I thank Him for the storms He brought me through. For if Id never had a problem, I wouldnt know that He can solve them, Id never know what faith in God could do. Through it all , Ive learned to trust in Jesus, Ive learned to trust in God. Through it all , Ive learned to depend upon His word./[ Dear faithful loving Heavenly Father thank You for being there for us, in every situation, thank You, in Jesus name Amen ]

Seeking . [ Luke 15 ]

I was thinking of those words in Romans 3 v11,/There is none that seeketh after God/, here ,it is speaking of the natural man, in other words all humankind.It is not that humankind are not seeking,we are all seeking , but the question is what are we seeking?,sin has so blinded our eyes we seek everything and anything ,except Jesus. Most people are seeking happiness, security,but not God,we live in a secular society, secular means, relating to worldy, as opposed to sacred things, that sums up the society we live in. The words of an old hymn come to mind,/I sighed for rest and happpiness, I yearned for them, not Thee./This is the experience of so many people,this is the lost generation,it is a tragedy, but here is the good news there is a Saviour and He is seeking, if you are not saved ,He is seeking you in all your lost condition,in all your emptiness, seeking to save you, will you respond to Him and accept Him as your Saviour.[Dear God for to long I have sought for the things of time,right now I turn to You, and ask Jesus to be my Saviour. Amen ]

Eternal values[ 1Corinthians 4v18 ]

Well for me and many others it is back to work, we have had our turkey,tinsel and gifts, our family get togethers, what are we going to do with those gifts?. Now we are heading with great speed towards the end of this year,soon 2010 will just be a memory, as I get older, time appears to pass so quickly, I have not reached the old persons point where the years pass quickly, and the days slowly, or maybe I have and I am not aware of it. One thing I see ,life is not a rehersal, we have only one shot at it,we cannot go back and live those pass events, only Doctor Who can do this, but for us ,we only have the here and now.As I write this blog, I am listening to an old gospel song, reminding me of this fact,/that there is a better home awaiting in the sky Lord./The Bible tells us that the things that are seen are temporal,and the things that are not seen are eternal [2 Corinthians 4v 18 ].Today the challenge is to live this life in the light of eternity, to not miss the opportunity of trusting Jesus as our saviour, and then to serve Him, to realize that it is only whats done for Christ will last.[ Dear God help us to know Your son Jesus ,and to serve Him,to live with eternal values in view, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Being different. [John 3 v16 ]

I watched the movie ,Happy feet, yesterday ,about a little penguin, who was different, it reminds me of a joke, a penguin walks into a bar and asks the bartender, have you seen my brother?, and the bartender replies, whats he look like?. Now of course to us all penguins look alike,we often say that about other races, and of course they may look alike,but in fact they are all different. My sister-in-law has a little dog and it likes cheese, strange but true,it is no less a dog for all that, and we are no less human because we are different, nor does our being different make us of less value.Let us not devalue anyone because they are different,let us accept everyone whatever their difference ,God does. [Dear God help us to accept everyone, even though they are different, in Jesus name. Amen ]

A true worshipper [ John 14 v6 ]

If everyone is a worshipper, which I believe they are, where will they be worshipping today? not far from where I live is a modern shopping center. Yesterday many went there to worship, am I being to cynical, maybe , but it may be true, the word of God declares,that we should have no other gods but one[ Exodus 20 v3].Remember if we erect our own gods,they will fail us,and indeed mock us,let us make no mistake about this, they cannot satisfy ,cannot satisfy,and they cannot save us.Jesus came to bring us into a place of being a true worshipper, he continually challenged people as to their empty worship, their false gods, and said if they wanted to be a true worshipper they must cast down their idols,and trust in Him,He said that no one could come unto the Father but by Him.[ John 14 v6 ].The gods of gold , silver,materialism, people,politics ,science, knowledge,health,sport,entertainment, are not the answer, cannot be the answer,God has provided the answer by sending His son into this world, to save us, to bring us into a place of being a true worshipper.[ Dear God help me trust Jesus, to cast out the false gods ,I have erected, help me to become a true worshipper,in Jesus name Amen ]

Lord make me beautiful.[ 1 Corinthians 13 ]

My mind turned this morning to the true story of Joseph Merrick,who unfortunately is known as the elephant man, because of his deformities, caused by the disease, Proteus Syndome. The movie of his life is not totally accurate, but it helps us to appreciate his condition. Joseph suffered a great deal,his mother died when he was eleven, his father remarried ,and in the end he was turned out of that home,he suffered a great deal because of his appearance. He was eventually befriended by a surgeon called Treves, and was cared for until he died, although he was disfigured physically, ,he was a very cultured,educated, and a sensitive person, and a devout Christian.It reminds me how people judge so often on outward appearance, no matter how we may appear physically, no matter, about our circumstances we can by the grace of God, and the Spirit of God manifest a lovliness ,that can leave a lasting testimony to the glory of God.[ Dear God help us to be like your Son Jesus, inspite of difficulties, help us by Your grace ,to be more like Jesus in every situation, for Jesus, Your sons sake. Amen ]

It can be a happy Christmas.[Romans 6 v23 ]

Well the snow is nearly all gone, I hope for good, I dont want a white Christmas, what do I want for Christmas?, maybe I will get something I dont want, although I arise early, I have not opened my presents, we will see.What I do have this Christmas is Jesus, Gods unspeakable gift, what want I more, He is with me after the Christmas season, ,and indeed in all the seasons of my life, He is the one who said I will never leave you ,nor forsake you. [Hebrews 13 v5 ]. There is no greater blessing than to know Him as Saviour, Lord ,and King, but also as a friend, He gives us many gifts, but most of all He gives Himself, many people will recieve gifts today, but will miss out on the wonderful opportunity of recieving Jesus as Saviour, if you have, rejoice, if you have not, God would offer that gift to you, ask and you will recieve, and then it will be truly a happy Christmas for you.[ Dear God thank You for Jesus Your dear son, help us all to see our need of Him, and to recieve Him as our Saviour. Amen ]