This earth. ( Genesis 1 v 1/ 22)

Although this world has been affected by sin and sinful man, there is still much beauty in this old world,from the mountain of Mourne that sweep down to sea,to the beauty of a flower ,or a bumble bee.It is all around us if we had eyes to see,in a new born baby,or lambs in the fields jumping around.Or a beautiful cloud formation, a spiders web,a sunrise or a sunset,a rainbow,and so we could go on. It was Folliott S.Pierpont wrote the following.

                                                     'For the beauty of the earth.

                                                      For the beauty of the skies,

                                                      For the love which from our birth

                                                      Over and around us lies;

                                                       Father ,unto Thee we raise

                                                       This,our sacrifice of praise.'

                                                   

The truth (Ephesins 4 v25)

 How important is the truth? very,my mother used to say,'you can't trust a liar',people take an oath when they are called to be witnesses and so swear to tell the truth,the whole truth,and nothing but the truth.There is a novel wriien by kieth Waterhouse called 'Billy Liar'  he was an incurable liar,idle and dishonest,a character in the book called a Mister Fisher said of him,'Its just one of his stories,he can't say two wards without telling a lie'. Every day people are decieved  by liars,and are cheated out of their money.,every day people make false promises.God takes lying very seriously ,Proverbs 12 v22 reads ,' Lying lips are abomination to the Lord'.very strong words,it is as serious as that,one of the greatest Presidents of  America was known as Honest Abe,if only all politicans were honest.Our dear Saviour had to deal with people who were liars,'He said to them 'you are of your father the devil',(John 8 v 44).There is a saying which goes ,'Tell the the truth and shame the devil'.sadly there are those who shame  themselves by telling lies.So many dear people hold on to power and forsake their principals by their lying,it is all very sad,it need not be that way. 

Keep right on to the end. ( 2 Timothy 2 v12 )

 During the second world war Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Edinburgh in Scotland,where he received of the freedom of the  city. Churchill spoke to the people gathered, in the audience there was the  music-hall entertainer Sir Harry Lauder,and this is what Churchill said,'Let me use the words of your famous minstrel-he is here today- words which have given comfort and renewed strength to many a burdened  heart;'Keep right on to the end of the road,Keep right on to the end'.That's what God wants you and I to do as Christians,to keep right on to the end, don't give up, no matter what the devil throws at us,no matter if the whole world is against us,don't give up.No matter how we feel like given up,replace those feelings with faith,and prayer.Think about what you would be going back to if you gave up,your old sins,your old ways,let us walk  in the footsteps of Jesus, in newness of life. In midst of lifes difficulties  remember there is a better day coming,for every child of God,so don't give up.

                                       

The road may be rough.( 1 Peter 5 v10)

Jesus says to everyone who trusts Him.'follow Me',you will be travelling on the road less travelled,it will be narrow,and at times challenging,but it will also be rewarding.There is no guarantee given to any of Christ followers that it won't be a bumpy ride,but there is one guarantee given, Christ will be with us,and that will make all the difference. The important thing is we must keep our eyes on Jesus,for if we don't do that,we will get into great difficulties,like Peter when walking on the sea (Matthew 14 v22-23), he ended up nearly drowning,because he took his eyes off Jesus.There are so many things that can distract us,the list is long ,how can we overcome them?,I will leave you with a poem by Mrs. Charles Cowman,

                                         ''The road is too rough,'' I said; ''It is uphill all the way;

                                           No flowers,but thorns instead; and the skies overhead are grey.''

                                           But one took my hand at the entrance dim,

                                           And sweet is the road that I walk with Him.

                                           ''The cross is to great'' I cried- More than the back can bear,

                                           So rough and heavy and wide, And nobody near to care.''

                                           And One stooped softly and touched my hand;

                                           ''I know. I care. And I understand''

                                            Then why do we fret and cry; Cross-bearers all we go;

                                             But the road ends by and by in the dearest place we know,

                                             And every step in the journey we may take in the Lord's

                                                                          own company.

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Finished ( Jonah 2 v 9)

 There are people who believe in Christ,His diety , incarnation,that He was sinless, that He died on the cross,His resurrection ,ascension,and His coming again.So what's the problem? ,one would  think there is no problem,and yet there is,then what is the problem?,the add on's.Lets consider Chist death on the cross, they think that His death on the cross is not enough to save,we must do our part,it means that Christ is almost a Saviour,it means that salvation is a partnership,a joint accomplishment, this is not what the Bible teaches. In Hebrews 7 v 25 we read,'Therefore He is able to save completely those who to come to God through Him'.John Owen points out that saving us to the uttermost (Completely)  means that Christ ''will not bring about part of our salvation,and leaves what remains to ourselves and to others.Christ does not leave us to ourselves,but brings about our whole salvation, from its beginning at regeneration to its  culmination in our glorification''

                                       'Not the labour of my hands, can fulfil Thy laws demands;

                                       Could my zeal no respite know,could my tears forever flow,

                                       All for tears could forever flow, all for sin could not atone;

                                       Thou must save , and Thou alone. (A M.Toplady)

                                       

No add on's ( 1 Corinthians 12 v13)

I come from Northern Ireland,not all Protestants hate Roman Catholics and vice versa,I never hated Catholics ,and I never was brought up to hate Catholics.I recently asked a young man was he a Christian,and he replied,'I am a baptised Roman Catholic',I could have replied,'I'm a baptised Protestant' If that was I was depending on I most definitely would not be a Christian. In John 3 v5 our Saviour said to Nicodemus ,'No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit'.There are those who take this to mean baptisim,but it has nothing to do with water  baptisim,the whole context of the our Saviours talk was about the Spirit,water is just mentioned once.If we go to what  John the baptists said in John 1 v 33,'The one who sent me to baptise with water  told me''The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise you with the Holy Spirit''.We cannot have add on's in relation to being saved,be it baptism or any thing else, The scripture continually stresses that it is faith and faith alone that saves us,John 3 v16,/ Acts 16 v 31. In  Ephesians 2 v 8-9. we read ,'For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith,and this is not of yourselves,it is the gift of God.Not of works, so that no one can boast'.Baptisim comes after salvation ,it is a declaration that you are saved ,and have died to the old life, and now are going to live in newness of life in Christ.

Show me a sign. ( Hebrews 4 v16)

In v 17 of Psalm 86  we read David asking God,''Give me a sign of your goodness'',is it  right to ask God for a sign?.  Gideon did  Judges 6 v 17,and God give him what he asked,The miracles that Jesus performed were in fact signs,they pointed to convince men who He was. (John 14 v11) Often the miracles did convince people who He was,and to believe in Jesus.The same applies to the miracles the apostles performed Acts 5 v 12-14.but there is no guarantee,that people who see miracle signs or experience them will turn to Christ,consider all that our Saviour did and instead of trusting Christ they crucified Him. Do these signs happen now?, yes the times of miracles is not passed ,a friend of mine told me of two people he prayed for and they were healed,they never turned to Christ.Yet the challenge is not everyone gets healed, for whatever reason,and that reason is in God's hands. We focus an awful lot on healing,but Christ miraculously fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes. I'm sure many can testify how God has provided for them,again a friend of mine,spoke to his wife and how they needed another car,and shortly after a friend whom he had not seen for a long time phoned and said that he had a car to give him. What is wonderful how many experience terrible suffering,and yet still trust the Lord,how do we account for that,it is a miracle of Grace. Everyone who is a Christian is a miracle sign of the grace of God,it changes their standing,they become children of God,their sins are forgiven,the power of sin is broken in their lives,their destination is not hell, but heaven,of course all comes into being when we trust Jesus as our Saviour.

                                                               'Amazing Grace'