verse of the day

Monday 30 September 2013

Weak in faith.[ Mark 9 v 23-24 ]

Thomas Brooks in his very profitable book ,/The unsearchable riches of Christ/,wrote of those who are weak in grace,that they dwell more upon what may discourage them in the ways of grace and holiness,than they do upon what may encourage them. We all fall into that habit at times ,yes it is an habit,and it is a habit that we need to break,until we do,life will fill us with dread.I know we are all different, some are quick to worry,others are not so quick . The Christian life is not  escapism,nor is it meant to be Abraham was promised a son,but the promise took a long time happening,to the point it did not appear that could happen.Abraham looked at himself an old man and Sarah an old woman,he did not give way to despair,or fear. He did not weaken in faith,no distrust caused him to doubt the promise of God,he was fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised[Romans 4 v 19ff] His heart and mind where fixed on God and His promise,and so it came to pass,if we are weak in faith,then we will, easily become discouraged,every time a problem arises,we will imagine all sorts of negative things.When Israel left Egypt ,in spite of all,they had witnessed of God's power,they continually panicked, imagining that all sorts of terrible things were going to happen.If we are like this then we must get closer to God,get to know God in a more intimate way,if we do God will honour our seeking,and I believe cause our faith to grow.
A   prayer ...../Dear God grant us the grace of strong faith in Jesus name Amen /

Sunday 29 September 2013

Upheld. [ Proverbs 16 v18]

When a child is beginning to walk it will hold on but it will also be held up by the parent,so it is with the child of God,in our walk with God,we hold on to God,but unseen to us, He is all the time holding unto us,without that we would fall flat as it where on our face. In 2 Chronicles 32v 31 we read how God left Hezekiah to himself, in order to test him, unfortunately it showed Hezekiah to be a proud person cp 2 Kings 20 v12ff ,pride is often our downfall,as it was Hezekiah's.If God left us alone what would be our response ?,if he took his hand away,I wonder what would be the result?.  The fact that God Holds us up has a two fold application, first of all it is a comfort, God continually seeks to comfort us His people,He tells us we are kept by the power of God  [ 1 Peter 1v5],in every  situation,we are kept by Gods power,upheld by our sovereign God. This is something to rejoice in,but, secondly, it is no reason to cause us to act like Hezekiah,and loosen our hold on our God,if we do we will suffer the consequences. Compare what happened to Samson, he lost his eyes,and his freedom,[Judges 16v21] let not prosperity,or success ,blind us to our dependency on our God compare Proverbs 16 v 18]
A  prayer...../ Dear God we praise You for upholding us day by to day, yet help us to hold on to You, 24/7,help us in Jesus name .Amen/

Saturday 28 September 2013

Hold on My child.[ Isaiah 43 v2 ].

The words of an old hymn come to mind,/Hold on my child/, sometimes life is difficult,many Christians are under so much pressure,especially those living in Islamic countries.People being fined,imprisoned ,abused, murdered,difficult, does not even begin to describe what many dear people are experiencing. Life without those things can also be challenging,moral pressures,material needs,the pressures to conform,bullying,frustration,unemployment,and so the list goes on.God's word for all who are having to cope with whatever is, don't give up,you are not on your own,you may feel you are,but you are not. Remember Jesus was with the disciples in the storm[Mark 4 v35ff],He was with them in their devastation[Luke 24 v13 ff],consider Paul ,who experienced so much,he wrote that nothing could separate God's children from God and His love.[ Roman 8 v38-39].So dear child of God, hold on,you are not on your own,
A  prayer..../Dear God we thank You for being with us,in all our difficulties,dangers,and trials, for You have said You will never leave us or forsake us, we thank You in Jesus name Amen /

Friday 27 September 2013

Porn [ Matthew 6 v9-13]


A young lad aged 11 was being interviewed, about of what he had seen on the Internet,he had unintentionally clicked unto a pornographic site. He said that what he had seen had robbed him of his  childhood.He went on to say he wished he could unsee what he had saw,it was sad to hear this young lad talking and it made me angry,and especially after his interview, a person involved in the porn industry was interviewed,I found myself becoming more angry. It seems that USA and our country are the biggest user's of porn,although many countries are not far behind.Now I don't want to sound holier than thou, I am 69 and during my life time I have battled with temptation mainly of a sexual nature,continually I pray ,create in me a clean heart, renew within me a right spirit ,these words are found in a psalm of repentance,from a godly man who had acted in an ungodly manner,by committing adultery,and murder[Psalm 51]For those making a business of porn they would say it is nothing personal ,but it is very personal,it personally affects so many people,mankind being as they are,can become addicted ,they can become desensitised, to what is doing to them and to others.I end by saying,dont be drawn into porn,and if you have, seek forgiveness and forsake it.I believe God not only forgives but also sets free.  [Isaiah 61v1 ]
A  prayer.........../Dear God help us to see that porn is wrong,either by being involved in it, but also participating performing ,thank you for Jesus who died to forgive us, and delivering us in Jesus name Amen

Thursday 26 September 2013

Welcome home. [Psalm 23v 6 ]


My wife brought me home a card which she had made,with the word welcome on it,it is a nice word,it conjuring up a place where everyone knows your name,and you feel accepted. There are places where we are not welcome,did Jesus welcome everyone?, how welcoming am I?.We have a new neighbour moving in,we have spoke to her,trying to be welcoming, will she be welcoming if she plays loud music,or acts in an unsociable way?.God I believe is welcoming, Jesus mixed with everyone, sought to make them welcome,but with that welcome,there was often a challenge,and then the roles became reversed and Jesus Himself was  not welcome. I know I may be welcomed by certain people,but if I speak to them about Jesus I will not be welcome,they will avoid me. The offence of the cross still applies,if I went to certain countries, where I may be welcomed as a tourist,but if I witnessed about Jesus, I could find myself in prison,or even dead. There are churches where If I was to criticise the minister or the in group I would not be liked,although let me stress I should do everything I can the promote the unity of the body of Christ. It is nice to feel welcome,but the reality is we may not always experience a welcome,the fault may not be ours. One of the things I am looking forward to ,is when I step on heavens shore ,to hear the words of my Saviour saying welcome home,my what a day that will be.
A  prayer..../ Dear loving heavenly Father we look forward to that day when You will welcome us home ,Amen.

Wednesday 25 September 2013

Let us pray. [ Acts 12 v5 ]

I often speak at a fellowship ,a small fellowship,all who attend are elderly,the usual procedure when I arrive is for a brother to pray with me before I commence taking the service. But the last time I attended I asked would I like to join the prayer meeting,I was somewhat surprised,but delighted as I entered the prayer meeting of 5 elderly people praying,and it was as if hope suddenly came into my heart in relation to the future of that small fellowship. You  see I believe when people start to pray things will happen,do I mean that those 5 elderly people can make a difference? , surely not,my answer is yes,yes, yes.. One man prayed and stopped the rain ,he prayed again and the rain started[James 5 v17-18],just one man,let us give ourselves unto prayer, the hour is desperate the darkness is closing  in,blind reasoning is on the thone,men love darkness reather than light,and resent the light,and would extinguish it,one of our leading politicians, boasted about the things his party had accomplished,and one of those things was same sex marriages.Such is the blindness and the darkness of the hour,Islam is  becoming more and more militant,many of Gods people are enduring more and more difficulties,oh dear Christian let us pray.
A  prayer......Dear God as the darkness appears to increase,help us pray in Jesus name Amen /

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Poisonous roots of bitterness.[ 1 Corinthians 13 ]

I am not a keen gardener,but I do a little bit,I do love our little garden,I was doing my little bit the other day,and one of the things that took up my time was digging up thorns. Now like all weeds I know that the most important thing if you want to rid your garden of them is to dig up the roots. In this case I found it extremely difficult to do this,I think I succeeded.This reminded me of what the writer of the Hebrews wrote chap12 v15,of the destructiveness of a root of bitterness coming into our lives,one translation puts it like this,/Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you./ How many lives have been poisoned by roots of bitterness,how many churches have been ruined by roots of bitterness. Life being what is will bring many unfair things into our lives,we all suffer unfairness at times,the devil is quick to ponce on such things,and will use our perceived grievance, and cause us to become bitter. So in order to prevent a root of bitterness coming into our lives we must ,I stress ,we must forgive, If we allow things to develop it will only become worse,and will become all the harder to deal with.It will be like poison in our lives,and what does poison do it kills us,we will become self murderers,and we will also have an affect on others.
A  prayer...../ Dear God grant us grace to forgive,to rise above disappointments,and losses,help us to rid ourselves of all bitterness,keep us sweet, in Jesus name Amen /

Monday 23 September 2013

A God shaped vacuum. [ Ecclesiastes 3 v11] [[NKJV]

Lets think a little bit more about Pascal and what he believed, / He said  there was a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every human being/. In Ecclesiastes 6 v 7 we read,/All the labour of man is for his mouth,and yet the soul is not satisfied/[ NKJV],our Saviour said that mankind is continually taken up with what they are going to eat, and what they are going to wear[Matthew 6 v 31-32]. Then He added ,/But seek ye first the kingdom of God,and His righteousness   [v 33]As Christians we should know this, we should know that none but Christ can satisfy,the unsaved in their spiritual blindness run with those things ,that cannot fill that God shaped vacuum in their hearts. We will wonder lonely as a cloud ,until we find the true source of life,and its true meaning , until that happens we will continue to be empty and life will have a pointlessness to it. You see I have been there did it, I know it is true,one of the most silly absurd things anyone has ever said ,was uttered by a famous football manager, when he said football was more important than life. Which side are you on?if you were making that statement what would put in place of the word football,only you can answer that, and there is coming a day when  you will have to give an answer for your choice.
A  prayer..../Dear God we thank You for Jesus, that He is the answer to humanity's deepest need Amen/

Sunday 22 September 2013

Blaise Pascal. [ Hebrews 11 ]

In  the 17th century there lived a French man called ,Blaise Pascal,he was a scientist who is credited with inventing a calculating machine,which was an essential step in the subsequent  development of the modern calculator. He came into a true experience with God and became a true Christian,as a Christian he was called a heretic by the Jesuits,but he challenged this by stressing he was only teaching what Augustine taught.Pascal taught that you cannot prove the existence of God,and that faith and faith alone was the key to knowing God,human reasoning did not play any part of our relationship with God and Christ. He taught some thing which became known as Pascal's wager and it goes like this,/ How can anyone loose who chooses to become a Christian. If when he dies there turns out to be no God, and his faith is in vain,he has lost nothing,in fact,he has been happier in life than his non-believing friends. If however there is a God, and a heaven,and hell,then he has gained heaven, and his sceptical friends will have lost everything in Hell./ Looking at the Christian life ,like this, tells us simple,the Christian cannot lose out.
A  prayer ....../ Dear God grant faith in Jesus,to the many who will otherwise loose out,for all eternity, in Jesus name Amen/

Saturday 21 September 2013

Walk the walk, and talk the talk.[ John 15 v 5 ]


How can we face each day?,how did those saints in the Bible face each day with all the challenges that each day brought?. The answer is very simple, with Gods help,it is so easy thinking that those mentioned in the Bible were different than us,but they were not,they were men and women just like you and me. They did not walk around with a halo over their head,,no they were flesh and blood just like you and me,how did they cope?well here is the answer,they walked the  walk, and they talked the talk.in other words they walked with God, and they talked with God.As we face this day are we prepared to do this?.The people in the Bible had their ups and downs,but they sought to be consistent,they at times they felt like giving up,at times they even wished to die,that didn't mean they did not know the Lord,yes they did.Here is the important thing He knew them and loved them, and forgive them,and enabled them to face whatever each day held .These ordinary people were blessed by God,and in turn they were a blessing to their generation,so dear child of God their God is your God, He loves you to bits,and what He did for the saints of old,He will do for you and me.So face this day with a confidence in your loving heavenly Father.
A  prayer..... / Dear God help us to walk and talk with You everyday,and to have complete confidence in You, in Jesus name Amen.  /

Friday 20 September 2013

Humility. [ Philippians 2 v5-11]

In his book called /The Unsearchable riches of Christ/,  Thomas Brooks writes in depth on humility,he quotes a aged saint who on hearing of a brother who had sinned said ,/He fell today I may tomorrow/. He wrote,/ humility is the first,second ,and third grace  in the Christian/,in being humble we are following in the steps of Jesus.Our Saviour taught, let him who is greatest, be servant of all.[Matthew 23 v11].It is one thing writing and reading about humility,and another living it out,as it is with,all godly characteristics,be it love, forgiveness,giving,sacrificial living,and yet that is the challenge,every sermon we hear brings a challenge,every devotional we read,all these brings a challenge,that we are called to rise to.Being humble is a challenge, for we all have a nasty streak of pride running through our lives,we are born with it,and that is what God aims to eradicate.1 Peter 5 v5,exhorts us to be clothed with humility,consider the humility that our Lord manifested,again it is Brooks who writes of an Earl called Eleazarus,that being given to immoderate anger, was cured of that disordered passion by studying of Christ and His patience.He still dwelt upon Christ and His patience,until he found his heart transformed into the similitude of Jesus Christ.
A prayer..../ Dear God grant us grace to be humble ,and in all things to be conformed to Jesus Thy son Amen /

Thursday 19 September 2013

Doing what we are told. [ 1 Samuel 15 v22]

I  heard something in work that made me feel anxious,so I have prayed about it,why?, because that  is what  we  are told to do.Do you remember your mother or father telling you to do something,something that you should have listened to and obeyed?and you didn't,and you got into all sorts of bother Well as a Christian we could save ourselves a lot of bother if we would simple do what God said.Take king Saul, if only he had simple done what God said, he would have remained king,he would have been blessed by God,instead of coming under Gods disfavour.Jonah experienced a nightmare because he did not do what God said. Even Moses lost out by not doing what God said[Numbers20 v8 ff],Solomon brought such disaster upon Israel by not doing what God said[1 Kings 11],the Bible is full of such illustrations. Consider the awful, awful,consequences brought about by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, by not doing what God said,Eve was tempted ,then she looked how many wrong things have started by a look,[ Genesis 3 v6]if only she had followed Jobs example[31 v1]when he made a covenant with his eyes,but she didn't,alas..
A  prayer..../ Dear God forgive us for disobedience,grant us the grace to trust and obey You in all things ,in Jesus name Amen/

Wednesday 18 September 2013

The cross. [ Galations 1 v 4 ]

I read this recently,/Christianity is a death cult. What kind of a religion has depictions of a divine nailed bleeding upon an instrument of death and torture, in every place of worship. And around the neck of every faithful follower Christianity is  a morbid death obsessed atrocity exhibition./I  wonder what you think of these words?. First  of all, if it was just about a person dying it would be pointless,and of course the death of Christ is not the whole story, if it was I would not be a Christian.The cross I wear is not a crucifix, in other words it is simple a cross but an empty cross ,to me this declare two vital truths ,death and resurrection. Christ did not die to bring us into a morbid obsession with death, He died and rose again,in order to bring all who believe in Him into eternal life[John 11 v25 ] Yes Christ did suffer an awful death, but it was not  a meaningless death,every year we have a remembrance Sunday,in which our country remember those who have died in war, there's was not a meaningless death.So it is, Christ death on the cross has a profound meaning,and that is,in His death, He was dying, that our sins can be forgiven,and in that dying He bore the punishment for my sin.If  He had not died, then we would never have our sins forgiven,never go to heaven, and would be condemned to Hell for all eternity, but because He died, my sins have been forgiven, and because He lives I shall live also.
A  prayer.../Dear God as many look on the cross wore by Christians,open their understanding as to it's true meaning ,in Jesus name Amen/

Tuesday 17 September 2013

He saw beyond .[1Corinthians 4 v 8-18 ]

It was my oldest boys birthday yesterday,it is a somewhat amusing trait that when we are young,we want to appear to be older,and when we are older we want to appear to be younger. There used to be a saying,which went,/act your age/,in other words, if you are an older person  stop acting like an adolescent teenager,and if you are adolescent teenager stop acting like a child.  Then we have the contradictory challenge we throw at youngster,grow up,when they misbehave.Of  course their are parents who dress their children like little adults,it all appears and sounds so confusing,then life can appear confusing,in so many areas.People who die, we think should not die,a seemingly nice person is revealed as a child abuser,we loose our job,we are forsaken or betrayed by those we thought where our friends,and so on. Life has always been like this ,if one reads the Bible we read of those who experienced so much pain,they felt confused that wicked people appeared to prosper,while the righteous appear to suffer.No one said life would be fair,and often it isn't,but let us not despair,God truly is on the throne and He will remember His own,,it was Job who suffered so much,who declared ,/Though He slay me,yet will I trust Him[13 v15],it was the great apostle, wrote of being perplexed,but then he added,but not in despair[1 Corinthians 4v8],because he saw beyond ,yes he saw beyond[v17-18]
A  prayer...../ Dear God forgive us that our thougths,and our vision is so earth bound, help us to see beyond, in Jesus name Amen /

Monday 16 September 2013

Let us not doubt.[Psalm 121]

  In 2 Thessalonians 3 v2-3,the apostle contrasts two things,first he writes ,all men have not faith,then he writes, but the Lord is faithful. In writing that all men have not faith he could be referring to all in general ,or as the Message pharaphrses,/That all believers,are not believers/.  He has described them as unreasonable,and wicked men,the condition and behaviour of mankind can unsettle us,can breed uncertainy into our hearts,and cause us to doubt, and stumble. So to counter this the apostle quickly adds,/But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil/.Remember Peter began to sink when he took his eyes of the lord [Matthew 14 v30], likewise the disciples accused the Lord of not caring[ Mark 4v38].  So the apostle reminds his readers, and us, that in an uncertain world the Lord is with us, for He is faithful, and he will stablish ,and keep us from evil. Let us remember that whatever difficulties,trials,and uncertaines we are facing the Lord is with us,and he will enable us to stand.Not only that, He will keep us from evil,we have echoes of Psalm 121 here. Remember where sin abounds grace much more abounds[Romans 5 v20],so let us not doubt His faithfulness, or his ability to undertake for us His children.
A  prayer....../Dear God let us not doubt Your faithfulness, or Your ability to keep us from evil in Jesus name Amen/

Sunday 15 September 2013

He cares [Psalm 46 ]


There are many caring people in the world,but there are many uncaring people,and there are many people who feel no one cares.There are many people carrying burdens, and it seems that they have no one to go to,no one to help them with their burdens. So I read a lovely encouraging verse of scripture today,which reads,/Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you[1 Peter 5 v7]/. How do we cast our cares upon Him?.the answer ,prayer,go to Him ,unload all your cares upon Him,that is what he tell us to do,so let us do it,oh yes you will still be faced with the difficulties,but that does make it a pointless activity,it means you shared your cares with someone who really cares. Flowing from His heart of  care God, He will begin to undertake,He will to your surprise give that unique favour that will enable you His child to come through your difficulties, grace.He will by that same grace begin to change and perfect you,making you and me more Christlike. Oh Yes He will answer your prayers,in the way that He sees best,and always in a way that is for your good[Romans 8 v28 ],because He cares for you.
A prayer...../Dear loving heavenly Father we thank You that You care for us ,and so we cast our cares upon You, in Jesus name Amen /

Saturday 14 September 2013

He just keeps on loving. [ Psalm 130]

I was listening to the radio and I heard the following,/I like a bit of mystery,we should not reveal everything about ourselves,if we do they will stop loving us/. I was reading  about a lady called Brigitte Hoss who lived with a  secret which she kept hidden for most of her life,her father was Rudolf  Hoss who was the commandant of Auschwitz,where over a million Jews were put to death. This lady was afraid if she revealed her secret, someone would  take vengeance upon her,for what her father had done. The mystery of God is this, He knows all about us,He see's into our distant past,a past we would not tell anybody,there are things that I will take to my grave,things I would not want others to know,because it would put my relationship in jeopardy with them.Now when we become Christians we realise that God is all knowing,the theological term is Omniscience.Tozer wrote,/Our Father in heaven knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. He knows our inborn treachery/.We may not know our deceitful and desperately wicked heart,but  God does and if we are His children He still loves us,He saved us in our awful sinfulness,and will continue to love us,,come what may.
A  prayer...../Dear God we praise You, that in spite of our dark secrets You will continue to love us,through Jesus Your son Amen /

Friday 13 September 2013

All [John 3 v16 ]

As I looked at a young lady pushing a pram with funny coloured hair, I thought she looks rough,and  then I thought she needs saved. In 1 Samuel 16 v7 we read man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart,in other words God see's the total person,and whats really important,we have such limited , and  restricted vision. I am not free from prejudice,are you?let us ask God to rid us of all that is contrary to what we should be,to see all people as God see's them,be they rich ,poor,clean ,dirty,limited mentally,uncouth,let us see  everyone we come into contact, as Christ see's them. God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth in Christ Jesus,he has not chosen angel's to tell them about Christ,no, He has chosen us.Our task is tell all men everywhere about Christ,our families,our neighbours,and so on. We need to be rid of any thing that hinders that task,Peter had to learn this,likewise the early church ,they had to learn that the Gospel is for the whosoever.
A prayer..... /Dear God  have mercy upon us,rid us of anything that hinders us telling others about Jesus our Saviour, Amen /

Thursday 12 September 2013

Being prepared. [Amos 4 v12 ]

Many organisations have motto's and I thought of one / Be prepared/,having just returned from a holiday,I thought of the preparation that goes into holidays.If you are travelling abroad then one needs a passport,and if you are going to certain areas in the world ,one will have to have injections.You also will need to have the right currency,and then book your flight,and then of one goes,but all that will be of no use if you have not booked your actual holiday,it is no use just arriving at a hotel if you have not booked in that hotel.In Amos 4  v12, we read /prepare to meet thy God/,very solemn words,very important words,and yet how few there are who  are prepared for that great event.The question is are you prepared to meet God,if you where called into His presence today would you be prepared?. In 1 Thessalonians 1 v10 we read how Jesus delivered us from the wrath to come,yes there is wrath coming,and if you want to escape that wrath then you must be prepared,for after death the judgement. A jailer once asked this question,what must I do to be saved,and he was told, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved[Acts 16 v 30-31].
A prayer ...../Dear God  we thank You that no need be lost ,that You have provided a way where mankind can be saved,in Jesus name Amen /

Wednesday 11 September 2013

A traffic jam.[ Proverbs 3 v 5-6 ]


While travelling back from holiday we had made plans to call our sons on the way home and stay the night and then home.Our sat nav was playing up and in frustration we thought of missing our sons and just go home,but then the sat nav kicked in, so we journeyed to our sons. The next morning we discovered that if we had travelled straight home we would have caught up in a traffic jam which lasted 9 hours.I was again reminded of Gods providence and was grateful that He spared us that ordeal,and I thought of all the twists and turns of life I have come through,closed doors,disappointments,open doors,and I rejoice in His providential care over me,and truly can say from the bottom of my heart, as for God His way is perfect,He makes no mistakes,and His loving care for His children never wanes, and never will.
A prayer...../Dear Loving Heavenly Father we praise and thank You for Your loving,constant care for us,in Jesus name Amen /

Tuesday 10 September 2013

The impossible [ Jeremiah 32 v17 ]

In the modern movie about Alice returning to wonderland, Alice says,/Sometimes I believe 6 impossible things before breakfast/.There is a song with the words ,/it's impossible/,how do you view the impossible?do you avoid it,should we trust God for the impossible?. It appears at times a complicated subject,and best left alone,God we believe causes the impossible to happen,but is it only the Bible?. Consider Mary,she never expected the impossible to happen to her,but it did,the widow woman in 1 Kings 17,did not expect the impossible, but the impossible happened. The question is can we expect the impossible to happen in our lives?,and the answer is yes,Jesus our Saviour, told us if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, mountains can be moved[Matthew 17 v20].  What I do know is God is pleased when we exercise faith[Hebrews 11],our Saviour asked His disciples,why are ye fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?[ Mark 4 v40].If we are to experience a miracle then there must be faith,the impossible becomes possible when faith is exercised. I believe God brings us into situations in which he wants us to exercise faith,and when we do He will respond.
A prayer..../ Dear God we believe that nothing is to hard for thee to do,help us as look to You to undertake for us personally in Jesus name Amen /

Monday 9 September 2013

Good people.[ 1 Timothy 1 v15 ]

I recently heard a preacher say,good people don't go to heaven only forgiven ones, it made me think how  many of us think that good people only go to heaven.Consider how many sermons have been preached at funerals that have stressed the goodness of that person,they where good mothers, fathers,friends.We are told a lot of nice things about them,which  may be perfectly true,but the point is that only those who have been forgiven will go to Heaven.In Romans 3 we have described mans condition, and it is not very complimentary,for it tells us that the non-Christian  to say the least is a very flawed  creature. Consider what is written ,none righteous,none understands or seek God,none that doeth good,they have tongues that are full of cursing,and bitterness. Violent,destructive,opposed to peace,and no fear of God,summing  up he declares ,for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.While on holiday I had this thought, that within all of us,there is a potential ,murderer,adultery, child abuser,because I am a sinner,with a heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked[Jeremiah 17 v9]. That is why only those who are forgiven go to heaven,that is why Christ died,the sinless one ,died for us sinners.
A prayer....../ Dear God in a world that appears hopeless,populated by no hope'rs,there is hope through Your son Jesus Amen /

Sunday 8 September 2013

No other way [ John 14 v6 ]

Consider the greatness of God  His creation,His understanding,and consider what Paul wrote in Galations ,he is seeking to show the Galations the futility of the law to save,it is impossible for the Law to save,because we cannot keep the law. The Law was given to teach us that we are lost,but God did not leave us there,He points us in His word to the secret of being accepted by Him, Faith in Christ is the only way,Abraham was saved before the law was given by Faith [Genesis 15v6],the only way,anyone can be saved, is simple faith in what God has provided through Jesus.In chapter 3 v21 we read ,if there could had been a law given which could have given life,verily righteousness should have by the law/.Here Paul is saying God decided there was no other way in which He could save mankind.. We are as indeed God is closed into one option ,that is the death of His son on a cross for mankind,no amount of law keeping can save,there is simply no other way.Paul ends his epistle with  this awe inspiring statement,/ But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ/[ 6 v14]
A  prayer......./ Dear God we bow in humility before Your awe inspiring wisdom in providing such a great salvation in your dear Son .Amen /