Your past ( Mark- 5 v 1 - 15 )

 We all have something in common, we all have a past,a present,and a future,take our past,one thing none of us  can do,we cannot change it. It reminds me of the words by Omar Khayyam,'' The moving finger writes ,and having writ,moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit,shall lure it back to cancel half a line. Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it''. Nothing can change what we have written ,or spoken,so it is we cannot change the past,we cannot by tears change the past. We may wish we could live our lives over again,but it is obvious we can't,but here is the good news ,we don't need to be controlled or,destroyed by our  past. Jesus came to forgive our sins,but he also came to set us free,everyone who lives, sins, this is what Jesus  says,''Everyone who sins is a slave to sin''( John 8 v 34 ) but He goes on to say,'' So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed'' (v 36 ),he has come to set the captives free. You can stop being a captive of your past,the apostle Paul writing to Christians in a place called Corinth ,mentions a number of sinful practices,sexually immorality,idolaters,adulterers,homosexuals,thieves,drunkards,slanders,and swindlers,  none of these will go to heaven,Then he goes unto say,''but that is what some of you were.they were no longer practicing such things, because of Jesus (1 Cor 6 v 9 - 11)The guilt of past,the wickedness of the past,can be left behind, when Jesus forgives and sets you free..He is more powerful than whatever binds you,he is able to save to the uttermost.

China . ( Psalm 31 v 15 )

 Hudson Taylor was a man of God ,who served God in China,   Billy Graham said,''Few men have been used to touch China for God as Hudson Taylor was''. At that time there were missionaries already in China, but they ministered mainly in coastal areas,but  Hudson's vision was for all of China. That meant    leaving  the coastal areas and going inland,it was another missionary William Carey who said,''attempt great things for God,and expect great things from God'',Hudson most certainly lived that out in his life. Let me say this ,never romanticize missionary work for often it can be costly,and dangerous,whither it was in the 19th century or the 21st century,it was that great missionary the Apostle Paul who wrote,'a great door  for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me'' ( 1 Cor 16 v 9 ). Hudson was  a  doctor,in his training to be a doctor in England during an operation of dissecting a corpse he must have scratched himself,which led to him developing a fever.When he told the surgeon,,he was told,''Get home as fast as you can, and arrange your affairs,you're a dead man''But he did not die,though it took awhile recovering,for he was God's man,who would be preserved,until it was Gods's time to take him home, none will of us will die, until God says so.

Tears ( Job 23 v 10 )

 It has been said,that God our Father will  never cause his children a needless tear, the word needless is important,because many of Gods children are suffering. Just let me point out first of all,we become a child of God when we trust Jesus as our Saviour C P, John 1 v 12,this is very important, and of course it is a wonderful blessing, because it means one  comes under God's special care. In the NT God is referred to as Abba C P Romans 8 v 15.that is a very personal term,something like daddy,for the Christian, God is not a distant uncaring person,but one who is near and instantly available,by prayer.He sees Him as a loving Father,one who cares,one who will help,and watch over his children. Now we live in a world were we can suffer and know pain ,we will never be free from such,but God our loving heavenly Father,never looses the hold of his children.Our heavenly Father purpose for all his children is that they may be conformed to the image of his Son .  C P Romans 8 v 29, Leon Morris writes,'It is God's plan that his people become  like his Son,not that they should muddle along in a modest respectability'.That means sanctification a process by God of changing us,and often that will include pain ,physical and emotional.As we consider the severity of  some Christians suffering,and even our own suffering,we may  be tempted to judge God as being uncaring, but He is not,he always has his children's well being, at heart. These little thoughts came to me,'I felt the hammer blow,and cried out in pain,then I heard a voice that spoke my name.I, your  Father will never cause you to shed a needless tear,All that I do is for your good ,hold on my child,and do not fear.'

Past hurts ( 1 Corinthians 13 v 4 - 5 . NIV )

 A friend observed how kind and considerate she was ,to people who had hurt her,so he asked her why was she kind to those who had hurt her?. She replied ,'' I cant remember when I  forgotten that''.I wonder do you find it hard to forget wrongs?.We may forgive but do we forget,not only  remember but stew over it.In Jeremiah 31 we have the promise of a new covenant,God declares as to all who would come under that new covenant,''For I will forgive their wickedness,and will remember their sins no more'' ( v 34 ). For those who come to Jesus ,and experience salvation.they will not only receive   forgiveness ,but all their sins will  also be forgotten. Is it possible like God we can choose not to remember? although we may struggle with this, I say we,because I struggle to forget .Let us ask the question how do we overcome evil?,how can we overcome the past hurts,consider what God says first of all,'' For I will forgive their wickedness''.so the first step must be for us to forgive, I know a person who has held a spirit of unforgiveness for decades. The next thing is,we need to choose is  not dwell on the past hurts,and the person who caused the  hurts. How? by asking the Holy Spirit to help us,it is possible to get victory,in Jesus name.  Harriet Auber  wrote, 'Our blest Redeemer,ere He breathed His tender ,last farewell, A guide, a comforter bequeathed with us to dwell. And every virtue we possess,and every victory won, and every thought of  holiness,are His alone'.

More serious than you think. ( Genesis 19 v 12 - 14 )

 Why is there a cross?why is there so much suffering,in so many countries were the poor are trampled over? , The answer is Sin ,yes with a capital S,it is William Barclay who wrote,' As we look at the cross we are bound to say: 'That is what sin can do. Sin can take the loveliest life in all the world and smash it on a cross.'We as human beings, I feel, cannot grasp the awfulness of sin,our estimation will never see sin as God see's it. There are no words in our vocabulary to fully describe the terribleness of sin,only God knows its awfulness.When we refuse to acknowledge the sin our lives,we are spelling out our own doom, it takes a supernatural intervention by God to make us aware of our sin  ( John 16 v 8 ).There is no limit to mankind's blindness as regards the full extent of sins seriousness ,and the gravity of it. There is no such a thing as a white lie,ignorance is no excuse,(Romans 1 v 20.),and there is no use shifting the blame unto others, ( Genesis 3 v 12 -13 ),it does not wash,with a holy God..Going back to the cross which shows the awful sinfulness of mankind,yet were  God in his sovereignty and love used it ,to deal with sin and its penalty.  The one who was sinless Jesus would pay the price that all sinners would have to pay,that is eternal  punishment in hell. Take hell serious,it is real ,again many don't take it serious,they are in for a rude awakening ,if you are not saved ,you are just a breath away, from hell,yes its as serious as that..I leave these thoughts with you ,and Gods loving response,to our wickedness,our  sinfulness, Jesus,it is your choice, choose Jesus and know forgiveness and acceptance with God,a God who loves you.

Pat. ( 1 Timothy 4 v 12 )

 There are people that God brings into ones life,that bless us ,my mind goes back 56 years, when I came back to the Lord. In that church there was a man called Pat Kitchen, who befriended me,and help me at that crucial time in my life. Pat  became a friend, his ministry in the church was children's work,there was lot of children in the church in those days,a large Sunday school,a very well attended children's   meeting.  Pat and another lovely brother called Wes  run that meeting, as time went on I became involved. Pat always did his best to help me and encourage me,in my Christian life, Pat eventually became a full time worker in CEF, Child Evangelism Fellowship,until he retired. He may be retired from CEF  but he is still serving the Lord,in what way?well he shared with me recently how every day he spends 3 to 4 hours in prayer.Pat has got Parkinson disease ,but my, he is such a lovely Christian, a living example as a follower of Jesus. Paul writing to young  Timothy,said this,'Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.  ( 1 Timothy  4 v 12) Let us all remember that people need to see Christ, manifest in all our lives.

I miss Him . ( Song of Songs 5 v 16 )

 When Charles Templeton was in his 8os,he was interviewed,he was asked the question,how did he assess  this Jesus,he was still an agnostic,yet this is some of what he said,''He was the  greatest human being that ever lived .He was a moral genius,his ethical sense was unique. He was intrinsically the wisest person,I've ever encountered. His commitment was total,and led to his death,much to detriment of the world. Although it may sound strange,but I have to say,'' I adore Him''. There have been many wonderful people,but Jesus is Jesus' Charles at this point became emotional and tearful and his voice began to crack,as he uttered the following words,''I...Miss...Him ''.Those final words are so very tragic,so very sad, 'I miss Him',all that man said about Jesus,was grand ,but there so much more could be said,that He was the Son of God,who became the Son of Man,who became obedient to death on the cross,for sinners like you and me,Don't you miss Him,accept him as your Saviour, and if you have got away from Him,come back to him,He will receive you with open arms.