Familiarity breeds ( Psalm 94 )

 C.H.Spurgeon wrote,''By degrees we get familiar with sin'', when I was younger swear words were considered wrong,sex before marriage was seen as wrong,gay was a word for being happy ,marriage was for a man and a woman . In some places, prostitution  is seen as just another job , drunkenness,    gambling, was considered sinful practises.Yes things have changed God is forgotten, by the vast majority of people,as a nation we  have become by degrees familiar with sin.Gradually we have become more secular,we think at one level  , cars ,clothes,holidays,homes,forgetting what Jesus said that we need more than bread alone,sex alone .food alone,cars alone,money alone.WE have been fooled by the world of education, the proud scientist to accept that it all just happened,and they mock the person of faith,ignoring the God who lives and reigns .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Luke 15 v 11 - 20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ( I will return in a weeks time)                                 

Don't worry ( John 14 v 27 )

Well, out of the mouths babes and sucklings ,we know the phrase ,and I was reminded of this recently,when my youngest grandson was helping me,he is nearly 3, well what did he say?. '' don't worry''. Of course worry is something ,  most of us are good at, if that is the right way to describe it. We all worry, I suppose that is why Jesus taught us those wonderful words in the sermon on the mount in  Matthew 6 v 25 - 34.There we are reminded of Gods care for creation,  Jesus stress'es our relationship to God, He is our Father,who cares for us, more than all creation, as our Father He cares for us,because He loves us. Worry He says is pointless, it accomplishes nothing,only causes us to deprive ourselves of sleep,and give us grey hairs,and makes our lives a misery.He wants us to replace worry with trust,to put God first ,and all will be well. Alas that is to simple for most of us, but not for my little grandson.                                                                                                                                                                                 Fear Him, ye saints,and you will then                                                                                                        Have nothing else to fear;                                                                                                                          Make but His service your delight;                                                                                                            Your want shall be His care.                                                                                                                          (Nahum Tate and Nicolas Brady's                                                                                                                paraphrase of Psalm 34 v 9  )                                                                                                                                                                 

Context not pretext. ( Hosea 14 v 4 )

John W. Olley writes ,''The mere quoting of scripture does not guarantee correct application''.It has been said you can use scripture to mean anything.The cults would do this, and the  so called prosperity gospel preachers. The cults do not want to accept truths such as the Trinity,or salvation as a gift,the Mormons must do certain things ,and be clean,that means fulfilling certain things, and then grace will be given.The so called prosperity gospel preachers, say that healing is in the atonement,taken from Isaiah 53 v 5 'by His wounds we are healed'',Most Pentecostals  would believe this,though   they are not  prosperity gospel preachers. What Isaiah is dealing with is sin ,not physical sickness.Sin in the scripture can be seen as a sickness,  compare Jeremiah 8 v 22 ,there the prophet cries out for a cure for a sinful nation.In Isaiah 1 v 4 ,he speaks of the sinful nation Israel,and then goes on to describe the awfulness of their condition  in v 5 a- 6,in graphic physical terms.It is in 1 v 18 he declares the cure for such sinfulness,''Come now let us reason together,'' says the Lord.' Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are  red like crimson, they shall be as wool''. I am not dealing with  physical healing,which can happen,  only if it is in keeping with Gods will. ( 1 John 5 v 14 - 15),every request we make to God has at its core the words  our Saviour prayed,''not my will, but yours be done''.

More than Justice. ( Romans 5 v 8 )

In his book  New Testament words, William Barclay writing on the Greek word ,'Epieikes  ,we have this word in Phil 4 v 5/ 1 Timothy 3 v 3./ and other places,comments ,that long before the NT  used this word it had a great record in Greek ethical writing. He quotes  Trench who says  ''that it expresses that ,moderation which recognizes  that there are occasions when a legal right can become a moral wrong.'' Consider what our Saviour faced when He healed someone on the Sabbath,or when he touched a leper,or even the woman caught in the act of adultery .The law would have  dealt with these people, on a purely legal base,but Jesus saw that as a moral wrong..W.B, points out the following, ''The basic and fundamental thing  about epieikeia is that it goes back to God.If  God stood on His rights, if God applied to us nothing but the rigid standards of the law, where would we be''. In  Christ  mercy triumphs over justice,because of that we are forgiven and eternally saved,as God in Christ has done this for us,let us remember to show Epieikeia to others.

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The loom.  (Anon)
                                                                                                                                                                                                               Mans life is laid in the loom of time                                                                                                          To a pattern he does not see,                                                                                                                      While the weavers and the shuttles fly                                                                                                      Till the dawn of eternity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Some shuttles are filled with silver threads,                                                                                               And some with threads of gold.                                                                                                                 While often but the darker threads                                                                                                             Are all that they may hold.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             But the weaver watches with skilful  eye                                                                                                   Each shuttle fly to and fro,                                                                                                                         And sees the pattern so deftly wrought                                                                                                     As the looms moves sure and slow                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               God surely planned the pattern                                                                                                                 Each thread  the dark and fair                                                                                                                   Is chosen by the masters skill                                                                                                                     And placed in the web with care                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  God only knows  its  beauty                                                                                                                      And guide the shuttles which hold                                                                                                            The  threads  so unattractive                                                                                                                       As well as the threads of Gold.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Not till the loom is silent,                                                                                                                           And the shuttles cease to fly                                                                                                                       Shall God reveal the pattern ,                                                                                                                     and explain the reason                                                                                                                               The dark threads  were so needful,                                                                                                             In the weavers skilful hand.                                                                                                                       As the threads of God and silver,                                                                                                               To the pattern which he planned.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Faith in. ( Acts 4 v 12 )

When I preach Gods word it is by faith, and, that it will not return empty, but will accomplish what God requires.The word of God is unique ,it is a living word from the living God ,when Gods word is spoken things will happen   ( Isaiah  55 v 10- 11 ). We read in Romans 10 v9         'That if you confess with your mouth,''Jesus is Lord '', and believe in your heart that God raised Him  from the dead, you will be saved.''. The word of God is absolutely vital for the life of faith,everyone believes something,unfortunately that something ,be it another religion or whatever will not be of much use to them. False religions leads ,on a false trail,will not take one to heaven and most definitely will  take one to hell. ,now that is very serious, very.God tells us clearly in His word,the way of salvation ,Jesus. He instructs us who He was and why He came,and how by simple faith we can be eternally saved, no other religion can tell us ,the true way to heaven.but Gods word tells us that by trusting Jesus and following Him in godly living we shall be saved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            There is a story sweet to hear,                                                                                                                     I love to tell it too;                                                                                                                                     It fills my heart with hope and cheer,                                                                                                         Tis old, yet ever new.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      It tells me God the Son came down                                                                                                          From glory's throne to die,                                                                                                                        That I might live and wear a crown,                                                                                                          And reign with Him on high.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         It says He bore the cross for me,                                                                                                               And suffered in my place,                                                                                                                         That I from sin a ransomed be                                                                                                                   And praise Him for His grace.                                                                                                                        (W.A.Williams )

Elijah ( James 5 v 17 - 18 )

In 1 Kings 17 Elijah the prophets bursts unto  the scene,with a word of judgement,,that there would be no rain, until he would say .At the end of the allotted time set for that judgement to cease God told Elijah to meet with Ahab and that rain was coming. So Elijah obeyed that took courage,but it required obedience,it is one thing to hear Gods word, and another to obey.I cannot stress the importance of obedience,to Gods word.So  God spoke Elijah obeyed. When his time with king Ahab was finishing, he said to Ahab, there was the sound of heavy rain.John  W. Olley,''Elijah is confident as he hears with the ears of faith''. Elijah went to a place of prayer, no it did not start raining automatically,prayer was required,persistent  prayer,when he started praying there was not a cloud in the sky,but when a small cloud appeared the size of a mans hand,he stopped praying ,and then the rain came.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The ear of faith                                                                                                                                            Obedience,                                                                                                                                                  Prayer.