With Gods help .[ 2 Corinthians 3 v5 ]

Recently God resolved a problem for me,for which I am glad,and thankful,I was struggling to get something sorted out,and God did it.It reassures me that especially in relation to my Job he is helping me to cope,remember I am seventy and still working.Unlike Moses who although he was 120 years,he appeared in the best of health,of course then he died,but it was Gods time to take him home.It was not his choice,it was Gods,have you heard the story of the man who was given the choice of how he was going to die,and he replied,in my sleep. Now where was I? oh yes contrasting my physical condition with Moses,well I do struggle,a sore back,feeling tired,loose teeth,poor me,sometimes just for a moment a wave of inadequacy flows over me,but then I remember what God says,that His strength is made perfect in our weakness[ 2 Corinthians 12 v9],and that as our days so shall be our strength [Deuteronomy 33 v25],and the very important thing to remember,it is one day at a time,borrow not from tomorrows troubles.[Matthew 6 v34] The poet wrote ,/I'll bear the sorrow that comes tomorrow,but i'll borrow none today/ A prayer....../Dear God of the weak,the inadequate ,we praise You for Your continual help,day by day, in Jesus name Amen /

Tears. [John 11 v 35 ]

My son was preaching a sermon recently, and found himself nearly crying,he did manage to finish his sermon.I think he felt a bit embarrassed of showing so much emotion in his sermon.At times I can become very emotional when I preach,when I touch on what God has done for me through Christ.Preaching is not acting,performing,no it is ministering ,and when one touches on wonderful biblical truths. I wonder why it is thought strange that someone becomes emotional when they preach.After all our Saviour was called a man of sorrows,when he stood outside Lazuras tomb He wept,When our Saviour looked over Jerusalem we read, He wept,[Luke 19v41],because they had totally exhausted mercy,and the fact that things could have been so different.So when my son weeps when preaching,or myself,I know that we are in good company.Was it not William Booth the founder of the salvation army,said ,when you preach  about hell,preach it with a tear in your eye.
A prayer..../Dear God,we ask You to not just to minister from our heads,but
                   also from our hearts,for the lost, and needy,in Jesus name.
                    Amen./

Where I am now. [ Matthew 28 v 20 ]

I listen to a man on TV,who had suffered for most of his life,who was wrongly diagnosed,when he was diagnoed right,he had to have a ,new hip,shoulder,replacents.Now he is free from pain no longer on medication.He was asked how he felt about the years that he suffered unneccessary,his reply was,he did not dwell on that,what was most important was ,where I am now. I felt it was very refreshing to hear the man say that,he was not going to sue,nor dwell on the past.We all have a lot to learn from that man.For many of us the past can hurt so much if we let it,it can cripple us emotionally.Now one is not underestimating, ones past history.I think of my childhood, mum seperated,never had any contact with my father,my mum struggling to provide for us.The financial struggles one has had for a great deal of my life,my wife dying,you may have your list,but if God has brought you through,consider where you are now.Refuse to be a prisoner of the past, open your heart, and praise God,for where you are now.If you are having difficulties at this present time,consider that you are not on your own anymore,the Saviour is with you,in the pass you may have been on your own but no longer is that true,so thats where you are now. A prayer...../ Dear God thanks for bringing us through so much, for blessing us,and thank You that no matter what the difficulties are now, You are with us,in Jesus name Amen /

The wheels of God grind slowly [Habakkuk 2 v 1-3]

I have just purchased another computor ,the one I was using was old and was very slow,and of course as with many things we do not like slow,all the world appears to be in a hurry. How did we manage when things where literally one horse power?,many an old horse must have been flogged to death.The car trade caters to our desire to go faster,they usually tell you that that the car can go or accelerate,in so many seconds,if one has a BMW,the drivers do not hang about. We want things instant,the supermarkets are aware of this,so we have food cooked for us already ,that just needs heated up in the micro wave oven.Now Gods ways are not our ways ,the ways of God are often far from fast,the term waiting upon the Lord sums it up,those who follow God must follow at His pace.We must learn to give God time,in so many areas of life.Mankind had to wait a long time before Christ came,and we are having to wait a long time for Him coming again.Chrit did not die till His hour had come [John 12 v23,] ,Israel had to wait 400 years before they were delivered from Egypt.It was Habakkuk who was told,that the vision was for an appointed time[2 v3],though it tarry,wait for it it will surely happen.There is that word again,wait,when all the time we are crying out, I want it now,not so says God,be patient,your prayer will be answered,your need will be met, your deliverance will come.Let us remember that old saying,/the wheels of God grind slowly. A prayer...../Dear God in a world that is always in a hurry,help us to trust You,and patiently wait for You to undertake,in Jesus name Amen /

Presumption [ Genesis 6 v3 ]

As I read the history of the Nation of Israel,the thing that stands out is that they always expected God to help and deliver them,which He did,continually. This He did inspite of the fact that they continually forsook God, for other so called gods,continually disobeyed Him,killed and persecuted Gods prophets,committed unjust things against the vunerable,Even today they look to God inspite of the fact they have rejected Gods Son Jesus,now I use Israel as an example of a people who have presumed on the mercy of God,they are not on their own in thinking like that.The world is full of people who assume or presume to expect God to be merciful,inspite of the fact that they refuse Christ an entrance into their lives.I stress this ,for mercy comes through Jesus,those who live for self,and only come to God in their hour of need,expecting Gods mercy when they stand before Him,will find out that one cannot presume on the mercy of God..I quoate D.kidner/An old comment on the penitent and the impenitent at Calvary is apposite,'One was saved,that none may despair,yet only one, that none might presume/ A prayer....../ Dear God help none of us to presume on Your mercy in Jesus Name Amen /

Tears of forgiving. [ Luke 23 v24 ]

On our onward walk with Christ,we are met with ungoing challenges,one the biggest challenges we are sure to be face with is forgiveness. The very nature of life will mean that people will hurt us,someone has come into my life recently that hurt me,I had been kind to that person,then one evening I received a phone call from that person,and they where angry,and where very unpleasant,I in all honesty did understand why they said what they did,but it hurt me,now they have come back into my life. I have tried to accept them,but would like them to keep their distance. Now if God acted that way I would never get near Him,so the challenge is for me to forgive that person,as God forgive me,and to accept them.To harbour a spirit of not forgiving others  is a very distructive thing,it hurts us,and hinders us,no matter what others do to us.Now it comes to mind what P. Yancey said about Joseph, when as a ruler in Egypt,his brothers stood before him,his brothers who had hated him,wanted to kill him,and sold him into slavery,what would he do?well he forgave them,but it was not easy,for we read that Joseph wept tears,as P.Y,writes/ it was the cry of a man ,forgiving/.Better tears of painful forgivning, than tears of bitterness.
A prayer..../ Dear God to our shame we struggle to forgive those who hurt us,inspite of the fact that You continually forgive us,help us Lord ,to forgive, in Jesus name Amen/

Sandpaper [ 2 Corinthians 1 v 8-9]

I was talking to a person when he said if he had  sandpaper,he could rub of all the rough bits in his life,and I said to him life is like sandpaper,if we are Christians, God will use the trials and difficulties we experience ,to deal with rough things in our lives. Diamonds do not come out of the the ground smooth and brilliant,no they must be smoothed, and polished,by master craftsmen.We read in Psalm31 v 15,/My times are in His hands/ and in His hands He will perfect that which concerns me[Psalm 138v8 ]. How does he do that? by using life's happens as a sand paper,as I look back in my life I can see how much of a rough diamond  I was ,and in many ways still am,I needed and still need to be changed,and so He applies the sandpaper experiences of our lives to smooth us down ,to make us better people. None of us will escape this,we can pray and pray, but God will have His way in our lives ,the secret of this process in our lives is to be still and to trust in Him who will never cause His child a needless tear.
                                        With the shade and with the sunshine
                                         With the joy and with the pain,
                                         Lord, I trust You, both are needed,
                                          Each your wayward child to train,
                                          Earthly loss, if we will know it,
                                          Often means our heavenly gain.[I.G.W]
A  prayer...../Dear God,not my will but Thy will be done in my life.Amen /