May 26 – Confident yet humble

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.… “ - Matthew 10:29

We often assume that to have humility, we have to think very little of ourselves. We’ve picked up the idea that thinking we’re worthless to God and others is the Christian thing to do, so we duck compliments and say things like, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace,” (that goes without saying) yet, Jesus, the Son of God had humility but was filled with the confidence of knowing just exactly who He was and the role He had to play during His time on earth.

The problem is we misunderstand Romans 12:3. Although it does warn us to “not think of [ourselves] more highly than [we] ought,” it’s speaking about our ability, not our worth.

It’s true that we shouldn’t exaggerate our ability. Don’t tell a group of rookie mountain climbers you can lead them on an expedition if you’ve never climbed a rock. That kind of over-inflated confidence could get you and everyone else killed! We need to be honest about what we can and can’t do, but at the same time, God doesn’t have a problem with good self-worth. The problem comes in when you feed off your success, and become puffed up, and put others down.

Yes, God wants you to think you’re awesome! After all, He created you and provided you with a safety net. If you’re worried about becoming prideful or arrogant, there are just two things you have to remember. First, give God all the credit for your success. Second, make sure you always think of, and treat others as even greater than yourself. When you do these two things, there will be no room for arrogance or pride in you.

God doesn’t want you to think you’re worthless, constantly putting yourselves down – being so passive, timid, and insipid, that you allow others to use you as a doormat!. That doesn’t please him. God wants you to realize that with him, you are a special creation, and have tremendous potential, to learn, grow and become the very best you can be! “....and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” - Ephesians 4:24

I'm sure we have all known at some time, the person who has quickly climbed the success ladder and was chosen too soon for early promotion? In a very short time their characters change. They strut around in their own self-importance, full of pride. Like the man or woman who has lived on the bread line all their lives, never knowing where their next meal would come from....then, they have a windfall. Their gamble on the lottery comes up. They feel superior to others. They engage people to cook and clean for them, then treat them like skivvies. How wrong they are - John 13:16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

When we act more like this Jesus—the strong, confident, fully-reliant-on-God Jesus—it has a profound effect on the people around us. We start speaking and acting in a way that reveals the heart of Jesus, and people fall in love with the Jesus they see in us.

Believing you are capable of anything God asks you to do is not pride; it’s faith. Jesus had this confidence - full of power and wisdom, and people flocked to Him.

Some people have a false notion of the Christian life based on misbeliefs about the character of Jesus. The truth is Jesus’s life was anything but boring and safe. He was a strong, courageous, confident leader who followed his Father’s will instantly and completely. In the same way, this edgy, relevant, Jesus is calling us to lives filled with adrenaline and adventure.

It’s also filled with significance. Fulfilling Jesus’s purpose for our lives is the most important thing we can do on this planet. It’s absolutely incredible to think that our actions actually help to determine how many people make heaven their home for eternity.

God’s plans for you are absolutely huge—greater than you can imagine. According to Psalm 139:13, God formed every aspect of your being. He placed gifts and abilities inside you so you could achieve amazing things in this lifetime. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, nlt) and God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20)!

Be bold and be yourself, like Jesus. Live an amazingly huge life, filled with joy, adventure, and significance. Confident that you have been redeemed and washed clean....confident of eternal life. After all, Jesus came to give you this kind of life. He said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” (John 10:10, amp).

(Adapted from cbn.com article)

Music today is taken from Bryn's selection - “Sometimes it takes a storm” - sung by Jessica King. Click on the picture to listen.

May 17 – All change!

Psalm 139: 1-6 “Lord, you have examined me and know all about me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, even before I say a word,
you already know it. You are all around me—in front and in back—and have put your hand on me.
Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand.”

The day had come! The child you had nurtured, developed, protected, and loved for the past 13 years, went to bed one night. It had been a perfectly normal day, ending with the usual evening routine....homework, family meal and discussion of how each persons day had gone, along with banter over whose turn it was to clear and wash the dishes. Afterwards the family had settled down together to watch a video or TV programme. Following devotions the child hugged you, said “Goodnight, God bless, and “I love you,” - you were to remember well those words over the following months and years.

Why? What is so different with the loving, obedient, cooperative child who went to bed that night, and the one who faced you over the following days, weeks, months and years (when you managed to lever them out of bed!) Suddenly, you had an alien on your hands – looks the same, and that's about as far as it gets. Your child was out to make a statement – “I am not a child. I make my own decisions – you can no longer tell me what to do – say what you like, I don;t want to go to church, it's boring! you might think it's right, but I don't!” The teenager is born!! https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/

The human brain is the most complex biological structure in the known universe. Its roughly 86 billion nerve cells, power all of our thoughts, perceptions, memories, emotions, and actions. It’s what inspires us to build cities and compels us to gaze at the stars. At the onset of puberty the most incredible, amazing changes begin to take place in the teenage brain, taking control away from both parents and child. The roller coaster ride has begun.

Several years ago Frances E Jensen’s 16-year-old son wrote off a car. A few years earlier, her other son had returned from a friend’s house with his hair dyed jet black. The University of Pennsylvania neurologist was finding her teenagers’ erratic behaviour increasingly taxing, so she decided to study teenage thought processes and gathered her research in the book The Teenage Brain. She found that while much had been written about teen psychology and parenting, no one had explained the neurons and cerebral connections that make those years such a unique – and terrifying – part of growing up. The teenage brain has only recently become a subject for serious research, which shows how little was known about it....“We expect a little bit more out of adolescents than we should, given where their brains are,” she says.

When we become adults, average adults, it is assumed that, barring illness, we will have gained at the very least, a modicum of maturity, and willingness to listen to advice. But is that so? Morris Venden, in his book “God Says, But I Think” suggests that even as adults, we remain as self-opinionated as we were as teenagers, and asks “Has God's word taken a backseat to our opinion?” It seems that just as you - parents, can advice, suggest, or, as a last resort, put your foot down, we as adults are no better than your son or daughter. .

Morris says it's “a valid question because an increasing number of Chrisstians today are depending on someone else to do their spiritual thinking for them. As a result, we are becoming a highly opinionated, confused, and spiritually weak people who are vulnerable to deception and to every wind of doctrine.”

Does that description fit me?, fit you? Do we depend on God in every aspect of our faith and life? Does it urge us to have a faith that is grounded and centred in Christ and His Word rather than one that is based on the fickle opinions and experience of others?, or, do we blow with the wind and change our views with every article we read, every programme we watch, every politician who “tells you sincerely folks” every sermon we hear preached?. Or, do we check out with the Word of God and through prayer, everything we hear and are told? If it tally's, if it's confirmed through the Word, we can accept it as gospel.

I must say, I agree with Morris that the tragedy of the teenage and adult rebellion began in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve knew what God said, but thought their way would be alright, - “God says, but I think I'll do it my way.”

Three other illustrations quoted by Morris are, “a golden calf on the plains of the wilderness, and the people have only recently heard a warning against it from the mouth of God Himself. But they said, “We know what God said, but we think it'll be alright.”

“Ananias and Sapphira, who knew about God's warning against false witness, but the thought it would be alright to tell a falsehood to the apostles....Uzzah, who with others, had been told to keep his hands offthe ark. But he said, “I think it'll be alright.”

Scientists say our brains do not mature until we are in our early twenties! I thank God we have eternity ahead of us.

The music choice today is “I'll pray for you” - the Gaither Vocal Band (LIVE). Click as usual on the picture to listen.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/25/secrets-of-the-teenage-brain

Sarah-Jane Blakemore - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zVS8HIPUng - the mysterious workings of the adolescent brain.

teenagebrainfacts.org

May 11 – Whole lot of Shakin'

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but my lovingkindness will not be removed from you.”(Isaiah 54:10)

Can we afford to procrastinate any longer? This week World News has concentrated on 'peace and safety' as the leaders of North and South Korea publicly display a seemingly developing friendship. America and Russia continue parrying for dominance, while China rouses from her sleep, and many countries in Europe are hardening their humanitarian stances. Add to this the most violent, entrenched, extensive war that is raging between Iran and Israel. Populations are dying from lack of the very basics of life – food, water, health care. Millions of others roam the world as they seek 'peace and safety.' Natural disasters destroy whole areas as volcanoes erupt, and hurricanes run their destructive course. A whole lot of shakin' is going on.

Can we afford to be like Agrippa when he said to the Apostle Paul, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Or, are we prepared to say, at this moment in time, as we see Bible prophecy being fulfilled, “ … choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:2, 15).

'What a comfort our scripture reading in Isaiah 54:10 is! That’s a wonderful promise but it has no reality for most of us because we have never experienced the world literally coming down around us.

Oh, some have – such as those who have gone through natural disasters and certainly those who are right now in war torn places. They are seeing mountains being removed and hills shaking. We should think about this because there is more to come. Remember that Jesus said regarding the End Times; “for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.” (Matthew 24:21)

As these things begin to happen, how shall we react? Do we wring our hands and feel afraid and anxious? Do we shake our head and click our TV to another channel so we don’t have to face it? Do we cry out; “why us?”

Instead, consider what is being offered to us during times of shaking. He said; “my lovingkindness will not be removed from you.”Think of it like wearing a fur lined wool cloak in bitter winter. It is wrapped snugly around you if you belong to the Savior. You are safe from the elements and it will not come off. It may be cold out there but not to you.

If you have yet to be personally touched by mountains moving or hills shaking, that’s good; but – your turn may come. If it does, be ready. The Lord’s lovingkindness is your coat of protection as the world spins more and more out of control awaiting his return. Are you wearing yours?'

(Acknowledgements Barbara Lardinais, Hannah's Cupboard)

The Lord holds out His hand. Grasp it, and hold on tight.

“Jesus it's me again”-Carol Baker, brings us today's music. Click on the picture to listen.

April 28 – Angels with wet noses

Psalm 91:11 “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

Animals and people share the Earth. We spend more time with some animals than others. we're more likely to have a dog than a lion, for example. Some are pets and some not, but this doesn't mean they don't know when we need help. Amazingly, even wild animals have been known to help humans, both in emergencies and in preventing emergencies. Many of them in our time of need, are used by God in answer to prayer – angels with wet noses.

All was well. It had been a normal day that Friday. The family were busy, each absorbed in plans for the weekend ahead, and intent on completing their tasks. Three year old Aurora and the family dog Max, was happily playing in the garden. Checked at 2.45 pm yes, all was well, but by 3 pm they had gone – disappeared, no trace of Aurora or Max anywhere. Their home in Queensland, Australia, is surrounded by bushland, so you can imagine the panic felt by one and all as search parties were organised.

As darkness fell and heavy rain began to set in, no trace of Aurora had been found. The search was called off until daylight when the area was widened, with police units on the ground, and helicoptors sweeping the bushland. By now fifteen hours had elapsed since Aurora went missing, and fear that she may not have survived a night alone in the open was building.

Suddenly, the police patrol saw Max, the family dog, coming out of the bush toward them, turning round and leading them to Aurora – a mile from home – wet, but fit and well.

When questioned, Aurora said that she and Max had wandered off into the bush and got lost. She added, that when it became dark, Max had slept close to her, cuddling her to keep her warm and dry. Despite being 17 years old and deaf-blind, Max had faithfully cared for his little human friend, ensuring that she came to no harm.


Max was awarded a medal and made an honorary member of the police force.

The following true stories confirm to us that God really does “give His angels charge over us,” and those angels come in many disguises.

Three Lions And A Girl

Three lions saved this 12-year-old girl who was kidnapped while walking home from her school in rural southwest Ethiopia. The four kidnappers moved the girl around for a week and were being pursued by police when they encountered this pride of heroic cats. The lions chased off the men but did not harm the girl. They only left when police arrived, surprising experts.

"They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest," said a police officer.

No Horsing Around By This Horse

Fiona Boyd is a 40-year-old who was nearly crushed to death by a cow on her farm before her horse came to the rescue. She had heard the cries of a calf that had been separated from its mother. The poor calf couldn't tell its mother from the other cows. As Boyd approached the calf, its mother finally heard the cries and charged at the defenseless woman.

"I knew I had to get away from her or she was going to kill me, and as I tried to get up, the cow just fell right on top of me. I thought to myself 'this is it, I'm going to die,'" said Boyd.

Suddenly, her 15-year-old chestnut mare jumped into action, repeatedly kicking the cow into submission. Boyd was taken to hospital. She was released with some bad cuts and bruises but alive.

Smart And Heroic Pig

This is Lulu, and she may not be a looker, but she's got more courage than most humans. She belongs to a woman who was suffering a heart attack in her home. Apparently, Lulu made a little whining sound when she saw her owner in distress and then sprang into action.

She opened the gate and tried to get the attention of passing motorists by, I kid you not, lying down in traffic. She spent 45 min jumping in front of cars and lying down so that they would stop. Finally, someone stopped and followed Lulu into the house and alerted the paramedicas, effectively saving the woman's life.

Outnumbered And Outsmarted

Dolphins are extremely intelligent animals and have proven to be friendly to humans. One surfer learned just how friendly they are when he encountered a shark while catching waves. Seemingly out of nowhere, a family of dolphins came to his rescue, circling him and enabling him to get to shore. He sustained serious injuries but lived to tell the tale.

This is one of countless tales of dolphins saving humans from drowning, often literally carrying them on their backs for miles across the ocean, leaving them only safety is reached.

We may have been visited by angels and not even known it, which will make it all the more interesting someday in heaven to see how many times we were visited by them and didn’t even know about it and how often angels may have intervened on our behalf to save our lives or spare us from serious injury.

Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

Today's music “My Father's Angels” presented by the Gaither Vocal Band and Charlotte Ritchie. Click on the picture to listen.

April 23 - The big squeeze

“O men of little faith. Do not be anxious then, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be yours as well” - Matthew 6:31-33 RSV

Globally, the world and it's population is going through a time of adversity. Feelings of distress, despair, and darkness press down on us as every newscast and social media site daily report further atrocities in yet another part of the world. From every side pressures are becoming unbearable.

Domestically, for some, life has become the equivalent of living in a pressure cooker, as statutory cut-backs cut back hard and deep. Utility bills are through the roof – that is if you can afford the deposit to get your foot on the property ladder! And so it goes on....a sinking NHS; broken relationships; increasing violence commited by younger and younger children; unemployment...etc...etc. Who would have thought that in the twenty-first century, homelessness, foodbanks and charity shops have become the norm?

Pressure, pressure, pressure, as mental illness, imprisonment and suicide rates continue to rise, and church attendance decreases....don't we know that our only hope is in Christ? Nations will continue to scrabble for superiority, and we, as indivduals, have become more and more self-reliant as the nanny state takes over.

All of this is just the tip of the wider ice-berg – personal relationships is where real pressure can be found! Throughout it all, Jesus says “Don't be afraid....come unto me and I will give you rest”.

One of the Greek terms for tribulation in the New Testament refers to “pressure...like being crushed under a big boulder” - pain, enduring strain.

Charles Swindoll writes: 'This is a description of pain, of enduring strain. It's an illustration of the crush of our times. There's a certain type of pressure that comes with promotions, demotions, unemployment. It includes prosperity and adversity - another kind of pressure that comes with the threat of losing your home – sorrow, gain and loss. There's a pressure that comes from calamity or a wayward child or a runaway mate – handicaps, disease, broken dreams. There's certainly pressure that comes with having too much to do, and not enough time to get it all done, a pressure that accompanies sleepless nights and the press of tomorrow's demanding responsibilities.'

Annie Johnson Flint wrote:

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;

Pressed so intently it seems beyond strength.

Pressed in body and pressed in soul;

Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll;

Pressure by foes, pressure by friends;

Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.

Pressed into loving the staff and the rod;

Pressed into knowing no helper but God.

Two people come to mind who, under pressure placed their trust in the Helper, the Word of God – David and Felix of Nola. David had been captured by the Philistines, and Felix of Nola was escaping his enemies. David's reaction? Implicit trust. Psalm 56:3-4 says: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You, in God whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” Another time, hiding in a cave to escape Saul, David cried out to God to “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in you; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by” - Psalm 57:1

Felix of Nola was also taking refuge in a cave, trusting God to intervene. No sooner had he entered the cave when a spider began to weave it's web over the cave opening. With amazing speed the mouth of the cave was completely sealed off by the web. To all intents and purposes the cave, to the pursuers, looked as though it had not been entered for many weeks. Seeing that, Felix's pursuers went on by. As he stepped out into the sunlight, Felix exclaimed, “Where God is, a spider's web is a wall; where He is not, a wall is but a spider's web”.

'Along the path of life, we also find ourselves in cave-like struggles. Sometimes the things we go through are our own fault. We deserve judgement instead of relief. At other times we are caught in a dark place because of what others have done, or as a result of circumstances beyond our control, or comprehension.

David wanted God's will to be accomplished in his life. Do we? He trusted God to show him the way.through the difficulties - up and over the rugged rocks to a smooth highway.' Do we?

(Annie Johnson Flint, Quoted in “Poems that Preach” John R. Rise)

(Acknowledgements Charles Swindoll, “Perfect Peace)

“Stand Still and Let God Move” - today's music. Click on the picture to listen.

April 21 -

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21–22 (NIV)

Carrying a grudge and refusal to forgive are one and the same package. It's no good getting rid of one of them while still hanging on to the other. I'm sure that in our lifetime we will have all met one or two people who, for years, hadn't spoken to, or visited, someone who was once a friend, or maybe a relative.

Some years ago I knew a woman – I'll call her Rita. Rita and her mother Nell, had never been close, and as a child they had very much lived separate lives, to the degree that as an adult, Rita confided that she could not recall ever being cuddled by her mother, or told that she was loved. Content with a life of men friends and clubs, Nell hibernated in the daytime and stayed out each night. Christmas celebrations were unheard of, and gifts? a few sweets in a package. The only real gift Rita could remember ever receiving was a doll from one of the “uncles”. Result? Rita married young and soon had a large family of her own.

It wouldn't have been surprising if she had passed down to her own children the treatment she herself had received. or refused to visit her mother ever again, but for years she showed a remarkable better spirit, ensuring that the children, herself, and husband, throughout the year and each Christmas visited with gifts and food parcels. Sadly, the good-will wasn't reciprocated. On each visit Nell's partner took the parcel from them at the door refusing to let them into the house, saying, “You can't come in, you're mother's asleep”.

The last time the children visited alone (yes, they still went back) the eldest was allowed into the house for five minutes, and the rest of the siblings were told to wait outside regardless of rain, or hail. For Rita this was the last straw and a deep resentful grudge took hold and became embedded – she just could not forgive and vowed never to return.

The years passed and Nell's health broke down. She became confused and confined to her bed and home. By then, Nell's partner had alienated everyone. Even Nursing and Social Services experienced a fight for access rights. Despite please from her husband to “Give it one moe try”, Rita remained adamant that she didn't care anymore, they were reaping what they had sown.

But inside she was hurting – she wanted to visit, but couldn't take further rejection. Every comversation with Rita was inevitably focused on Nell, who received the flak for her partner's behaviour Time and again Rita was advised to pray about it, counselling her to put her feelings to one side - to visit Nell before it was too late, become reconciled while they had time to make a few happy memories. Rita was cautioned that if she didn't, after Nell's death, she would regret her decision for the rest of her life.

Out shopping the following week, Rita was passing Nell's house and felt compelled against her will to knock on the door. Nell's partner opened up with his usual greeting , “You can't come in, your mother's asleep”. To Rita's amazement she heard herself say, as she pushed past him, “Then I'll sit with her 'till she wakes up. Like it or not, I'm coming in – she's my mother”. Rita had prayed for strength and it was given to her without measure. After that, visits became more and more frequent as Nell deteriorated, and the partners greeting was the same as always.

Rita had dropped her bags of grudges, resentment, and unforgiveness at the foot of the cross. The load she had carried for so many years had been lifted. Rita and Nell were granted many precious hours together making up for wasted years.

Nell had been dead for two days before the news reached Rita – one of her sons had been informed by an ex-neighbour of Nells. Rita and her husband went immediately to pass on their condolensces, and ask if they could be of assistance in any way, only to hear the cruel response there was no money, as Nell had had none to leave.

Hurtful? Yes, but as Rita says, no-one can take from her the happiness she and Nell found those last weeks and months as the mother/daughter bond was at last made. Hurts were talked through, and memories exchanged. Established grudges and resentments slowly dropped away, with peace and joy taking their place.

To this day Rita marvels at the way her prayers had been answered that shopping day - that Someone took control of her, giving her the grace and strength needed to face up to Nell's partner once and for all, and get into the house.

The crowning memory for Rita however will always remain - the moment her mother held her hand , and told her that she loved her. Praise the Lord!

Music today is “Rivers of Joy” (LIVE) The Gaithers. Click on the picture to listen.

April 12-13

April 12 -13

"Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need and he will give it to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. (Matthew 6:33 LB)

I had one of those nights this week - try as I might, I just could not get off to sleep when finally I went to bed. I had stayed up late that night to watch the Commonwealth Games being held on the Gold Coast, Australia. The result, my brain refused to close down.

As you know, when this occurs, the mind goes round and round and backward and forward over past events. My brain didn't let me down. Trouble was the over-stimulation seemed to draw up negative events...you know, those times when I've had a problem, discussed it with the Lord, then done my own thing- my own thing that on every occasion got me nowhere fast! You'd think by now even my semiconcious brain could concentrate on the past good events – after all, they far outweigh the bad, but at those times I had spent more time thinking about God's advice than putting it into action!

When God makes a promise, He keeps it. When He tells us He will never leave us or forsake us, that He will come back to earth for us, we can rely on it:

“Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” - Hebrews 13:5

“When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” - John 14:3.NLT

The 1989 Armenian earthquake killed thirty thousand people. Moments after the tremor stopped, a father raced to an elementary school. As he arrived to nothing but a mass of stones and rubble, he remembered a promise he’d made to his child: “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.” Other parents arrived as he began pulling at the rocks. “It’s too late,” they told the man. But the father refused. For thirty six hours he dug—his hands raw, but he refused to quit.

After thirty-eight wrenching hours, he pulled back a boulder. “Arman! Arman!” and a voice answered him, “Dad, it’s me.” Then the boy added these priceless words, “I told the others not to worry. I told them if you were alive, you’d save me, and when you saved me, they’d be saved, too. Because you promised, “No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!”

“Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support” - Isaiah 41:10 BBE

We must trust God with our lives. As long as we love anything more than God, that thing or person or item will become a source of anxiety.

The book of Romans says that God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us to pay for our salvation. If God loves us enough to send His own Son to die for us, don't we think He loves us enough to give us the right advice when we ask?

The bottom line is this, if we can hope to have a good night's sleep, will we trust God enough to listen to Him - be like the Armenian father who dug at the earth until he found his son buried under the rubble? be like the son, Arman, who trusted his father to keep the promise he made? Trust Him enough to do what He tells us to do?

(Acknowledgements Rick Warren and Max Lucado).

Click on the picture to listen to "I Heard the Voice of Jesus  Say" (LIVE).

April 6 - Just one

“Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all” - Proverbs 22:2

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” - Ephesians 2:14

This week, Wednesday 4^th April was the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968). Martin was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil right's movement from 1954 until his death in 1968. He is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire.

At creation God made man and woman equal partners, each with a specific role to play. Some are rich, some poor. Some are extraordinarily talented; some simply blend with the masses in an ocean of mediocrity. Some hold high and lofty positions while others toil in a lowly station, destined to serve rather than rule.

Despite this, we are all equal in essence before God and one another. “All enter the world naked, helpless, unconscious beings; all stand in the same natural relation to their God; dependent on Him for their birth; the children of His Providence; the creatures of His moral government,” Bridges wrote.

This was basically Martin Luther's stance as he faced head-on the widespread inequality that existed then, and continues to exist, today, between peoples around the world. Why I wonder, is there so much prejudice, hatred, and intollerance in the world and our communities– such a dislike of difference? After all is said and done, in common, we will all face a life of afflictions, temptations, and trials. All will one day pass from this temporal existence and face the judgment of God. All are tainted with the same corruption. All like sheep have gone astray. Every one individual who has ever lived stands in need of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” - 1 John 4:20

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” - Romans 12:5

Is there any wonder that Martin Luther declared in his famous speech to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, “I have a dream” - during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States  and called for civil and economic rights. King's dreams of freedom and equality arose from his roots in a land of slavery and hatred.

In our overpopulated, impersonal world, it is easy to underestimate the significance of one. With so many people, most of whom seem so much more capable, more gifted, more prosperous, more important than we, who are we to think our part amounts to much? I’m just one person, who cannot make much difference.

That’s the way most folks think. They really do!

Aren’t you glad Patrick Henry didn’t? And Henry Ford? And Martin Luther King, Jr.? And Walt Disney? And Martin Luther? And Winston Churchill? And Jackie Robinson? And Irving Berlin? And Abraham Lincoln? And Charles Wesley? And Dwight L. Moody? And Corrie ten Boom?

“But it’s a different world today,” you say. Back then, there was room for an individual to emerge and stand out in a crowd, but now, there’s no way!”

Wrong. God has always underscored individual involvement . . . still does.

• How many did it take to help the victim who got mugged on the Jericho Road? One Good Samaritan.

• How many were chosen by God to confront Pharaoh and lead the Exodus? One.

• How many sheep got lost and became the object of concern to the shepherd? One.

• How many were needed to confront adulterous David and bring him to his knees in full repentance? One.

• How many prophets were called to stand before wicked King Ahab and predict a drought? One.

• How many did the Lord use to get the attention of the land of Israel and prepare the way for Messiah? One.

Never underestimate the power of one! And that one just may be you.

(Acknowledgements Charles R. Swindoll)

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” - Ephesians 2:14

“One voice/Where no-one stands alone” medley (LIVE) presented by The Gaither Vocal Band is our music today. Click on the picture to listen. Enjoy!

April 1 – He Lives!

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD spoke to the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."…” - Genesis 2:15-17.

I've probably told you this before. As a child we lived in a countryside hamlet where, every winter, a local farmer operated a horse-sitting service, and myself, along with two friends, groomed and exercised the horses. There was however, one particular horse that my mother was uncomfortable about. She sensed danger and warned me never to ride that particular horse. I could feed it, groom it, just be obedient to her concerns and not ride it....equivalent to the Lord's warning to Adam - see it, touch it, but don't eat it I, of course, knew better, it seemed safe enough to me. Nothing would happen. I was convinced my mother was exagerating!

I met my friends – with that horse. Like Adam and Eve I told them an exagerated account of what I wanted to believe, (“....but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"…- Genesis 3:3) and at the first opportunity took my turn at exercising the horse. By now you'll have guessed that mother's premonition came true. No-one else's fault. I, like Adam and Eve, abused my freedom of choice, and I have lived with the health consequences all my life - just as we are living with the knowledge that one day we will all die..

Since Eden, the world too has lived, and will, until Christ returns, continue to live with the penalty of death hanging over it, because of the actions of Adam and Eve. Where was my faith and trust in my mother's love and concern that she was trying to protect me from harm? And Adam and Eve? A couple who every evening walked and talked face-to-face with Christ?

So death with the slaughter of the first innocent lamb, entered what had been a perfect world. A Saviour, Redeemer, was needed, and Christ stepped forward: “ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." - Genesis 3:15. Our God had to die because we were given freedon to choose.

Where does this freedom of choice leave not just us as individuals, and churches? Morris Venden suggests that “an increasing number of Christians today are depending on someone else to do their spiritual thinking for them. As a result, we are becoming a highly opinionated, confused, and spiritually weak people who are vulnerable to deception and to “every wind of doctrine” blowing about today”.

In His book “God Says, but I think” Morris urgently challenges us, and the church, to prayerfully return to complete dependence on God in every aspect of faith and life – a faith that is grounded and centred on God and His Word, rather than the fickle opinions and experiences of others.

Over two thousand years ago, a weekend like this – Easter Sunday. Jesus crushed death under His feet. His promise fulfilled as He arose from the tomb, a living, breathing body, who walked and talked and picnicked with His disciples before returning to His Father.

His resurrection is our confidence, our assurance, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” - John 14:1-3 KJV All we have to do is make the right choice.

Click, as usual, on the picture to listen to The Gaithers Vocal Group (LIVE) singing "Resurrection".

Hallelujah – He arose!!

March 30 – New Life

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

—1 Peter 1:3

A couple from Chicago was planning a vacation to a warmer climate, but the wife couldn't join her husband until the next day, because she was on a business trip. Her husband scribbled down her e-mail address on a little scrap of paper, but upon his arrival, he discovered that he had lost it. He wanted to send off a quick e-mail to let her know he had arrived safely. So trying his best to

Unfortunately, his e-mail did not reach his wife. Instead, it went to a grieving widow who had just lost her husband, a preacher, the day before. She had gone to her computer and was checking her e-mail when she let out a loud shriek and fainted on the spot. Her family came rushing in to see what was on the screen: "Dearest wife, I just checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P. S.: It sure is hot down here!"

The good news is that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we don't have to be afraid of a place “that is hot down there”. In fact, we don't even have to fear death. Because Christ died and rose again from the dead, we know that for us as believers, there is life beyond the grave.

If that were all the resurrection did for us, it would be worth the price of the ticket. Of course, we didn't buy the ticket. Christ did. But if all that Christianity offered was the hope of life beyond the grave, it still would be worth it to be a Christian.

But there is a whole lot more that the resurrection has for us. Our risen Lord will give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us (see Ezekiel 36:26). He will give us new knowledge, new comfort, new peace, and a new life in Him.

(Pastor Greg Laurie. www.harvest.org).

Music today is “Good Friday” - Click on the picture to watch the video and listen to the music.