The offense of the cross [ 1 Corinthians 1 v18-23 ]

I like football and like most people consider Real Madrid one of the great sides in the world,just recently it seems that they have had the cross removed from their crest,to appease  the Abu Dubai bank.Because they
are involved with this Islamic bank they do not want to give offence.I am not going to judge them I leave that with God.It reminds me of the growing power of Islam and how much they hate the cross of our lord Jesus Christ,I
wonder if the cross of our Lord Jesus offends you?.In 1 Corinthians 1v18 we read,for the preaching of the cross ,is them that perish foolishness,but to us which are saved it is the power of God.It is Leon Morris who writes,/
The cross was not merely a miscarriage of justice, not only a martyrdom,it was an act of God/.Through Christs death on the cross sin was being dealt with,if we are to be saved we need our sins to be forgiven,Gods answer  is the cross.Through weakness Christ was crucified,but in that very weakness,the power of God was demonstrated,in that sin,satan and death
were dealt with..Again Morris writes,/Christ can deliver men. But men ,of their own endeavours,can never break free ,from various tyrants that hold them in,and confine them to miserable slavery/
                                                     A  pray
To God only wise,be glory through Jesus Christ for ever Amen.

Give Me Thine heart.[Proverbs 23 v26 ]

When David Livingstone died,his heart was removed and buried under a
mpunda tree in Africa, his body is buried in Westminster Abbey.It is said that home is where the heart is,and surely that was true David,he poured out his life in that Continent,and bringing the message of Christ to the lost.  That is one way of looking at it,but as a Christian I am sure there was a moment when he responded to the words in Proverbs 23 v26, /My son , give me thine heart/.I knew a man who was brought to faith in Christ with those words.When we come to Christ we give Him our hearts,no longer do we
give our hearts to the world,or even to self.Our hearts become His throne,
and this is where He reigns and rules. That rule is absolute,it should be total
and totally surrendered to Him,He will not tolerate any rivals,when He says,
my son give Me thine heart,He desires all of it.Judas even though he was
among the 12 ,let money rule his heart,and he paid a terrible price.Davids lust ruled his heart with the result he committed terrible things.To have a relationship with Christ means total surrender to Him every day,and every moment of every day.The story of Scrooge is about a man who lost the girl he loved ,and became a miser,a mean low minded person.
                               A  prayer
                    True hearted Saviour,You know all our story,
                    weak are the hearts  that we lay at Your feet.
                     Sinful and treacherous,yet for Your GLORY,
                     heal them and cleanse them from sin and deceit,
                                   Amen
                  [  Words by Frances Ridley Havergal]

Cold formalism. [John 11 v 35 ]

In the fellowship I attend a number of  people are given the task of reading  the scripture,well there is a person called Roy who is one  of the scripture readers.Roy was to read Matthew 25v 31ff,a  scripture which deals with judgement and rewards,as Roy read it,he became emotional especially as he read the verses relating to Judgement. He just about finished the reading,I must confess his emotional reading of those scriptures touched me and I am sure it touched others.It reminded me and I hope others of the dangers of  cold calling,cold praying,cold reading,cold preaching,cold formalism. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet,maybe that is the reason that I love Jeremiah. Consider that our Lord was a man of sorrows,He wept at a friends death, He wept over a city,and I am sure He must have wept much in private.I wonder how more effective our preaching,witnessing,praying would be if they were accompanied with tears?.
                                        A prayer.
               Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
                Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
               Break me,melt me,mould me,fill me.
               Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
                                  Amen.
            [Words by D. Iverson]

Slippery places [Psalm 73 ]

I have just watched a movie when it all ended happily ever after,the goodies won over the baddies,just like real life. Now I always bear in mind that the movies are their to entertain,so that means writing the script in a way that is pleasing to people.Today there are many baddies out there who are crushing the poor,exploiting the vulnerable,and it appears that there is no happy ending.Walt Disney did not write the script of life,for many no prince charming comes, only prince's of darkness. For many life holds no hope,no escape, no justice,only the dark side of life,no one to take their side,no one to speak up for them.Some people are critical of some of the Psalms,and the fierce language that is used. It appears to me they forget how angry Jesus was at those who had turned Gods house into a den of thieves and robbers.Who said to those who devoured widows houses,, ye shall receive the greater damnation.[ Matthew 23 v14]  The prophets were the voice of God continually crying out against injustice [Isaiah 1 v23/Habakkuk 1v4]
In Psalm 73 ,the writer is struggling with what he see's ,the wicked are prospering,corruption is rife,it did not make sense to him, so much so that
he was having a crisis of faith.That is until God opened his eyes,and he see's how God has set them in slippery places, that in a\ moment they are cast  down,into destruction.He asks why,the better question is ,is how long?,  they are cast down,in a moment,and in that moment judgement falls.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God we do not need to remind You of the evil in this world,You know,and what is more important you will act ,we thank You that Your
justice will prevail,in Jesus name Amen .

The bumps,jumps,and lumps of life. [ Lamentations 3 v 22-23 ]

One thing I do not like about driving were I live,those speed bumps,no matter how one tries,they catch you out,and you feel the cars suspension is going to give way. Now I know that there is a good reason for these speed bumps,they are to make us slow down.I read this recently,/It is in and through,these bumps and jumps and lumps of history,that we are to prove faithful/ [D.R.  Davis ] In whatever period of history we find ourselves in, and in  whatever place we find ourselves in,be it a communist state,or an Islamic state,or a secular state,we are to prove faithful. Bringing it to a more personal level,a rocky marriage,a divorce,an ongoing unresolvable problem we are called to prove faithful. Whatever God has   intrusted to us,be it financial,a particular task,we are called  to be faithful,faithfulness will bring its reward [Revelation 2 v 10].In 1 Thessalonians5 v24 ,we read,  faithful is He that calleth you, yes God is faithful,I am sure most of us can say great is
His faithfulness [Lamentations 3 v23].Let not your presents difficulties cause you to be unfaithful,you may feel you cannot cope,yes that is true,
but you are not alone,He is with you,He has not forsaken you,nor will He,
He can grant the strength you need in all your trials,so be faithful, in all the
bumps,jumps,and lumps of life
                                     A  prayer
Dear God we thank for Your faithfulness in saving and keeping us,help us to be faithful for Jesus sake Amen .

The long term. [ John 16 v 33 ]

I am reading through the book of Daniel with the help of a commentary,by Dale Ralph Davis,in chapter 8 we have foretold the rise of different nations the Greeks, and the Persians,this would take place after Israels return from their 70 years captivity.R.P.Davies quotes John Walton,/The Israelites were to live out their faith in a Gentile world,under circumstances that would make it more and more difficult to do so.They had to count on the sovereignty of  God to sustain them generation by generation, crisis by crisis.  They also had to trust the power of God to control the flow of world
empires as they rose and fell. God's agenda is never in jeopardy, nevertheless,they were to be prepared for the long term./ As with Israel of old so with the new covenant Israel ,we who are called Christians,[Jews and Gentile],in a world that is full of uncertainty's,and persecution,must be prepared for the long term. The question is how?,well ,we have the answer in what J. Walton wrote,to count on God's sovereignty,to sustain us whoever is in power,and whatever crisis that arises,in the world and in our own personal circumstances, as he writes God's agenda for this world
, is never in jeopardy.
                                     A  prayer.
Sovereign God we look to You, and trust in You to sustain us for the long term,in Jesus name Amen.

A bubble. [ Matthew 7 v 24-27]

I was listening to someone on the radio in my car,she had lost someone in the  Lockabie disaster,when Pan Am Flight was blown up by terrorist,killing all on board,plus eleven people in in Lockabie .This lady has written a book,which I do not know the name of ,or even her name,but she said something very meaningful,which I managed to remember and write down./
We live in a bubble of invulnerability,until tragedy strikes and then we realise how fragile we are/ I remember many years ago in a factory,and a man called Sam,otherwise known as big Sam,he was a hard man, anyone who crossed him, had better watch out.Then I heard that his son had been killed in action in Aden,and when I got the chance I went to him to say how sorry I was for his loss,and at that moment he was no longer big Sam, but a father who had lost his only son,and he appeared very fragile.I asked a girl I know,how her parents were,as her mother had just lost her mother,she replied that both her parents were fragile.So many people live in what they we could call a bubble of invulnerability,money, fame,good health,nice home,nice job ,nice wife and children,and so on .The fact of the matter is,our bubble can so easily burst,and then we realise just how fragile we are,when that happens,this is an opportunity to find real security in Christ,for the fact is no one is very secure, no one.The old hymn goes,/  On Christ the solid rock I stand,all other ground is sinking sand/, my prayer for you is that you may find this to be true.
                                   A  prayer.
Dear Lord we are very fragile ,yet in Christ,we are safe and secure. Amen .