His ways are mysterious. ( Isaiah 40 v12- 31 )

If I do have a favourite hymn,it would be that hymn by    William Cowper,'God moves in a mysterious way ',it is so profound and meaningful.In Romans 11 v33 we read,'How unsearchable are His judgments,and His ways past finding out'.Can anybody tell why so many things are happening in this world at this time,only a sovereign God knows.Let us face it,there are so many why's in life,that we do not have an answer for. Consider Job who suffered so much,he stands in the midst of the ruins of his life, with no answer to the why,he had experienced so much suffering, it was all a mystery to him.In the end he stopped questioning God  (40 v 4-5 )So that's it,no,God is not a cold impersonal being,He is a God of Love,and He has a special love for His children. In Romans 8 v 28,we are told something very important,'that our sovereign God is working out all things for good to those who love Him'.Consider those words 'all things',it means just that,but it also goes unto to say ,'according to His purpose'. Yes God has a purpose for all His children's lives,and that purpose is that we may be conformed to image of His Son.( 8 v29 ),consider what that means in your life,as I will consider what it means in my life.

Perseverance.( 1 Peter 4 v 12 - 19

Just another thought on David Livingstone,on ,'New Year's Day,1871', he wrote a prayer in his journal,'O Father,help me to finish this work to Thy honour'. It was said  of him that he had a perseverance bordering on mania,I don't know if I would agree on the mania bit,but he was a man who refused to give up in spite of many difficulties.I am not comparing myself to David Livingstone,but on looking back on my life in relation to Christian service,and reaching that goal of becoming a minister,it took perseverance. We can broaden this task of perseverance to include our Christian life,one the five points of Calvinism ,is the 'perseverance of the saints'.  In John 6 v 66 we read,' many of His disciples withdrew,and were not walking with Him anymore.' because they did not understand what Jesus taught,they stopped following Him.I am totally against the so called prosperity gospel,it cuts across the whole idea of persevering,it rules out the fact that we are told that in the world we shall have tribulation,that we are to  take up our cross and follow Jesus

                                                    'Let us by God's grace follow Jesus. 

                                                     come what may'

He entered heaven with prayer. ( 1 Thessalonians 5 v 17

 On the 1st of May 1873 Dr Livingstone who was very ill,woke between midnight and dawn. He slipped to the floor got on his knees to pray, he was discovered at 4a.m,he was still kneeling in prayer ,and in that position he had died,he was aged sixty .David Livingstone was a godly man,much loved and respected, dying as he did,kneeling in prayer,reminds me of a verse of a hymn  by James Montgomery,which goes.

                                                   'Prayer is the Christian's native breath,

                                                   The Christian's native air,

                                                    His watchword at the gate of death;

                                                    He enters heaven with prayer'.

How vital is prayer to us?,the world rushes on,alas many Christian's do also,it was Billy Graham who said that the most important thing before his campaigns, was,' To pray,pray, pray'..We all need to learn the lesson,that if our churches are to grow,and if we are to grow spiritually,we need to pray,pray,pray.

A staff to lean on.( 2 Peter 1 v 4)

 I have something from a devotional by L.B.Cowman, to share with you.

                                        Your rod and your stall they comfort me  (Psalm 23v 4)

I remember going out walking with my dad  and we both choose walking sticks that suited the occasion.As we have done this,I have frequently been reminded that the word of God is a staff.During the war ,when we were experiencing a time of discouragement  and impending danger,the verse''He will have no fear of bad news,his heart is steadfast ,trusting in the Lord'' ( Ps 112 v7 ) was a staff to walk with on many  dark days.When our child died and we were left nearly brokenhearted, I found another staff  in the promise''Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning''  (Ps 30 v 5) When I was forced to be away from for a year due to poor health, not knowing if God would ever allow me to my home ad work again,I chose this staff, which has never failed; ''For I know the plans I have for you...... plans  to prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you hope and a future''( Jer 29 v11).

                                             ' Standing on the promises of Christ our King

                                              Through the eternal ages let his praises ring

                                              Glory in highest ,I will shout and sing, 

                                              Standing on the promises of God.

                                              Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

                                              When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail

                                              By the living word of God I shall prevail,

                                              Standing on the promises of God.

                                                       Words R.Kelso Carter.

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Faithfulness (Luke 19 v 17 )

My son Brian has just returned from a preaching engagement in Texas,it was a large church,had an attendance of about 2000 people.I rejoice that my son is being used by God ,he is the international director of a prayer movement called 24/7.Unlike him I ministered to small congregations occasionally to larger groups.We read in Luke19 v11 ff  how our Lord told a story of  a nobleman who intrusted a number of his servants with different amounts of money,He had to leave them and go to a distant land to be crowned King and then he would return.He told his servants to invest the money,when he returned, the first servant told him that he invested the money and made ten times the original amount. His master replied,'Well done..you are a good servant.You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you'',and he rewarded him..It is not how big or how small a ministry our Lord entrusts to us, it is faithfulness that matters.The words of a Christian song comes to mind,'If just a cup of water  I place within your hand, then just a cup of water,is all that I demand'.Remember be faithful  in whatever ministry God has entrusted to you,no matter how small it may be,and if you do that ,you will hear your masters well done,and you will receive a reward.

The death of evil (2 Peter 3 )

Martin Luther King Jr,give a message on,'The death of evil',and he related it mainly to the oppression of the conquered nations of the world.I can understand him giving this message in the light of the  way black people were treated in his country. Yet I think that his message fell short of what the word of God teaches as regards the end of evil,but let say this I admire Martin Luther King Jr ,he was a very brave and courageous person.His movement accomplished much, but it has not ended racism,Nazism has been defeated but it hasn't eradicated Anti-Semitism, the defeat of Putin if it comes will not put an end of war.We are always going to need prisons,child abuse,murder ,and so many other evils will continue,the commandments will continue to be broken.This world will never get any better because of sin and Satan it is heading for destruction CP 2 Peter 3.The fallen nature,or sinful nature, of humanity will not be changed by freedom movements,social improvements, better education,etc. The  only hope for the citizens of planet earth is Christ,if you do not know Christ as your Saviour ,the future for you is hopeless.If you trust Christ as your Saviour, your sin will be forgiven,and you will receive a new nature.As Christians we can look forward to a new heaven and a new earth where in dwelleth righteousness when our Saviour returns,and only then will evil die.

Busy,busy,busy. ( Luke 16 v 19 -31)

 We live in a busy world bombarded by many things,many are like the rabbit in 'Alice in Wonderland', who ran holding a clock and crying out,'I'm late! I'm late! for a very important date'.The poet writes of those who have no time to stop and stare, they are busy,busy busy. There is a  story of an explorer in Africa,he was accompanied only by porters,So they drove on relentlessly,but after a couple of hours they stopped,the man asked why they had stopped ,where they tired?. 'No they replied they where not tired, it's just that we have been moving very quickly,so we left our souls behind,now we have to wait, for it catch up with us'.Yes the world rushes on, not considering that they have and are an everlasting soul,and without Christ they will spend eternity in hell,it is a grim message,a sad message,stop for a moment,pause and consider what I am saying before it is to late,turn to the Saviour today.