Now you know. [John 1v 12-13 ]

 In John chapter 3 we read of a man called Nicodemus  visiting Jesus by night,he was one of the countries top religious cleric's, belonging to very, very religious sect called the Pharisees.Their name means separated ones,they taught Gods word and tried to walk in it's teaching, he starts by complimenting Jesus,but Jesus as it were ignore what he said, and then tells him,except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now this really stumped this very religious person ,it did not make sense to him,Jesus continues to emphasise this truth the importance of the new birth. Nicodemus still does not understand ,Jesus challenges him,you are a master of Israel and you don't know what that means.This reminds me of a story I read recently, about a godly man who sent his son to a Bible teacher. When he returned, the father asked him what had he learned.The son told him all he had learned. The father said,this is nothing,  go and learn more. The son returned one year later, this time he boasted about all he had learned, the father sent him back. When the son returned again, his face shone,the father embraced him,and said,you knew theology before, now you know Christ.
A prayer... / Dear God there are so many who know theology ,but alas don't know You or Your Son Jesus,have mercy  upon them open their minds and hearts to see the need of knowing Jesus as Saviour. Amen/
I  will return to my Blog Sunday week  every blessing Bill

Bring us through. [ Isaiah 41 v 10 ]

We can have great sympathy with those dear people who are being persecuted,and wonder how would we cope if the situations were reversed,I don't know,but I  do know that God would be with us,and  as he helps them so He would help us. Although we may not be suffering persecution ,the Christian life is a challenge,temptation,problems, can wear us down,and sometime we feel overwhelmed and feel that the situation we are in is to much or us cope with,a difficult marriage , and concerns with our children,financial pressures.I don't know your personal situation,and if I did I may not fully understand,but it appears to me that most of us have to cope with something,and that something ,can cause us to feel overwhelmed,especially those problems that don't go a way. So how do you feel?well here is the word of God for you and me today,/When thou passest through the waters,I will be with thee,and through the rivers,they shall not overflow thee, when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned,neither shall the flame kindle upon thee[ Isaiah 43 v2 ]/
A prayer...../ Dear God sometime we feel overwhelmed by our situation and circumstances,so today hold us up in the flood,bring us through the fire in Jesus name Amen/

Pray for the children. [ Isaiah 1 v17 ]

I wonder do you remember when you went to school ,and when your children went to school,in the west we are privileged and blest with a good education system.I could not have managed as regards unemployment if I had not been taught to read and write,think how much a blessing it is to be able to read a book,education is a great blessing.My thoughts turned recently to  to dear children who miss out in so much, but not only miss out in so much,they have to contend with co much.Consider what the Barnabas aid agency call children of courage,imagine what it must be like for children who are Christians or from Christian families who live with threats and intimidation every day. The authorities don't help,and their dear parents are powerless also,it is hard enough for children in this country,who are bullied.  So today, pray for children everywhere,yes for those who are being bullied,but for the many who are facing hostility and discrimination and even persecution,also for the many children who have lost their parents through aids,and have to fend for themselves,oh dear fellow Christians let us pray for the children.
A prayer.../Dear God have mercy upon the children in every land that are being neglected,abused, persecuted,orphaned,have mercy ,in Jesus name Amen /

Death could not hold its prey. [ John 11 v25 ]

I read recently that a dentist who purchased a tooth that was John Lennon's for about 15,000 pounds, was going to use it's DNA to bring back a clone of John Lennon.Let us be very clear ,he will not succeed in creating another  John Lennon,for when you are gone ,you are gone.There are people who will have their bodies frozen when they die,in the vain hope that they can be brought back to life ,it will not work for when you are gone ,you are gone.As to this life we have only one shot at it,we may wring our hands in despair,we may hope that scientist can change things but they wont,oh yes people in the West are living longer,but it is only delaying the inevitable,we are not going to live for ever on planet earth,every living creature on planet earth will die.Why? because of sin,what God told Adam is true ,read about it in Genesis2 v17,we where not made to die,but die we will, the only people who will not die,are those who are alive when Jesus comes back again[1 Thessalonians 4v13ff],whenever that will be.In my work I call on people,and I find they are not there,and this reminds me of that morn when some women went to a tomb wherein lay the body of Jesus,and to there surprise they found ,He was not there,read about it in John chapter 20.They discovered that he who was dead was alive,he had conquered death,and now lives in the power of an endless life.This Jesus said a wonderful thing,He said that if we believe in Him,even though we die we shall live eternally.[John 11 v25 ]
A  prayer.../Dear God we praise you that death could not hold its prey,for Jesus tore the bars away,and through His victory,we also can beat death, when we trust in Him as Saviour. Amen /

You are a soldier. [ 2 Timothy 2 v3-4 ]

Often the apostle Paul wrote of the Christian life in military terms,in Ephesians 6 ,he writes of the armour of God,in2 Timothy 2 v3-4,he uses the term soldier,and in 2 Corinthians 10v3-4 ,he writes of war and weapons. I was a boy soldier for nine months,so I know a little bit about being a soldier,it meant discipline ,each day we had inspections,and could easily have found ourselves on a charge for something or other.When discipline breaks down,anarchy reigns,discipline is vital in any army,and especially in the Lords army. We need to pray,read the word of God,we need to meet with Gods people,we must take these things very serious,and not make excuses.Many children don't like discipline,don't like being told what to do,yet it is for their own good,likewise in the army of Christ,there are those who don't like coming under the discipline,of Gods word,of the Spirits directing,and so build up resentment in their hearts. Discipline is for our good but it is also for the greater good ,those who loose sight of the greater good loose sight of the fact we are part of an army,was it Lord Nelson who spoke of those happy band of brothers.Nelson for all his greatness did not win battles on his own,being a Christians it is an individual thing with individual battles,but we need also to remember that it is a collective endeavour.
A  prayer..../ Dear God  as part of Your army, help us to show a measure of discipline in our lives in Jesus name, Amen/

He has made a difference. [ Hebrews 13 v5-6]

An old man who was a Christian was ill and  coming near to the point of death,was visited by a friend,who was an unbeliever.The friend asked him how did he know there was God?,the old man looked at him,and shared with him the following.When I was a young man I felt so lost,but one day Jesus came to me and found me.As I went on I got married and had children,there where times when I did not know where our next meal would come from,but some how our needs were met. There where time when I had no money to pay the rent,and then I heard Jesus speak to me from His word,saying I will supply your need,and He did. There where times when I did not know what to do,and I heard Jesus say to me, fear not I will guide you,and He did.When I lost my dear wife,Jesus came to me and comforted me,assuring me she was in heaven,and that all would be well. Now as I face death Jesus told me,that I need not fear going through the valley of the shadow of death,because He will be with me.
A prayer..../Dear Lord Jesus thank You for coming into our lives ,blessing us in so many ways. Amen/

Are you clean? [1 Corinthians 6 v 9-11]

Sin no matter how it is dressed up is something that makes us unclean,so it was with David when he sinned,he had committed adultery,he prayed,/Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow[Psalm 51 v7]. There is an advert on the telly of a young child walking through a field and as she is walking she is being hit by paint and then the words come up,dirt is good. But of course dirty hands when one is serving food,or contaminated hands when a surgeon is about to perform an operation is not good. So it is that when it comes to Gods estimation of sin it  is classed as unclean, one of the articles in the tabernacle was a laver  a large container of water,it was for the priests to wash themselves, before they went into the tabernacle before the Lord,the penalty for not doing this was death[Exodus 30 v17-21]. There are a number of lessons in this,God requires us to recognise the importance of His holiness,that if we are to be accepted by Him,sin must be cleansed,must be removed.Consider how many people gave little thought as regards their sin in relation to God, they think that it is all about the good they do. I cannot stress this enough, we cannot enter Gods presence,unless we have been cleansed form our sin,not only can we not enter Gods presence,we will be excluded from His presence eternally.Now the washing in the tabernacle was only a type pointing us to a greater reality,and it is John in his epistle who tells us, that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin[1 v7],the penalty for neglecting this cleansing is spiritual death.
A prayer...../ Holy  God we praise You for Jesus Your son who shed His precious blood to cleanse us from our sin,help us to see that it is not optional. Amen/