A Prayer for you

  A Prayer for you

In the book of Jude we read this blessing. A blessing I’d like to send out all those believers who read my blogs. It reads,

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 1:24,25.

Dear Heavenly Father,

It is my prayer for those true believers in Christ Jesus, that no matter where they may be living around the world, that you God will bless them richly.

That You will keep them safe. Give them strength for each day, and give them wisdom in all situations.

In Jesus name I pray

Amen

An instrument of God

 An instrument of God

Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

Today is the first day of 2022. Let us make these words of Jesus real in our lives this year.

Let us live the prayer of Francis of Assisi who prayed,

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." 

                                                                        Francis of Assisi

Please think about it.

God to me

God to me
Over the years people have asked me what is the most important thing in my life? I tell them God. For God has truly blessed me. While at the same time been with me through some of the hardest days of my life.
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it agai+n, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.
My belief in God is precious to me. That’s why I wish to do my best to represent Him in all I do. Especially when I present the Bible to anyone.
I believe it is of paramount that when I read the Bible I interpret it the right way. The way God intended.
It is easy to take portions of the Bible out of context and make it say what you want it to say. This however is wrong. One must do ones best to interpret the Bible correctly. Taking each word and verse in its proper context.
I firmly believe we should not only be reading the bible but we should be reading about the history and culture of Israel. The culture in which the Bible was written
It is far too easy to read the Bible and place our own cultural norms on it. This should not be so. 
The Bible was written I believe to show man what God expects of him and to point individuals to heaven.
If we misinterpret the Bible we run the risk of pointing both ourselves and others in the wrong direction. This can have eternal consequences.
Thus the question becomes.

If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus is God precious to you? 

Are you doing everything you can to interpret the Bible correctly?

Or

Are you twisting the scriptures to suit your own beliefs?

Please think about it.

Belongs to Them

Belongs to them,
Matthew’s gospel tells us,
“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  
When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-15.
Here the people brought their children for Jesus to bless. Those who did this were most likely believers in God. They seen in Jesus at the very least a man of God and desired to have him bless their children.
I firmly believe it is incumbent on every person who believes in Christ, who believe in God the creator of heaven and earth, to bring up their children in their faith. The book of proverbs tells us.

“Train a child in the way he should go,

 and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

Proverbs 22:6.

The book of Deuteronomy states,

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today 

are to be upon your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. 

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, 

when you lie down and when you get up.  

Tie them as symbols on your hands 

and bind them on your foreheads.  

Write them on the doorframes of your houses 

and on your gates. 

                                                                                    Deuteronomy 6:5-9.
As Christians we must live our faith in full view of our Children.
Joshua Loth Liebman wrote,
“Give your children unconditional love, a love that is not dependent on report cards, clean hands, or popularity.
  Give your children a sense of your whole-hearted acceptance, acceptance of their human frailties as well as their abilities and virtues.  
Give your children your permission to grow up to make their own lives independent of you.  
Give them a sense of truth; make them aware of themselves as citizens of a universe in which there are many obstacles as well as fulfilments.  
Bestow upon your child the blessings of your faith.  
These are the laws of honouring your son and your daughter.  Out of these laws will be built the Declaration of Independence for the coming generation, a spiritual and emotional independence that, in turn, will make the world free, democratic, safe, creative”.  Joshua Loth Liebman.
Please think about it.

Faith of a Prostitute

Faith of a prostitute

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, 

when she had received the spies with peace.

                                                                                                Hebrews11:30,31
Did you know there, are only four woman other than Mary, the mother of Christ mentioned in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew.  The woman are, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah’s wife. Neither are Jewish by birth, and one is a prostitute.
We hear constantly about the great leaders, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Peter, Paul, John and the others.  But there are other “little people” who are just as important.
Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho who seen the Israelites coming and feared God.
She believed what she had heard.  She believed and acted on her beliefs.
She clearly seen the power of God, and at the risk of her own life hid the spies sent to Jericho by Joshua.
As a result, she was a recipient of the blessing given to Abram by God in
Genesis 12:3 when it states:
“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you;  and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
                                               Genesis 12:3
If we consider what happened to Rahab after the fall of Jericho, she was truly a recipient of God’s blessing.  Her great grandson would be king David.  Twenty-eight generations from David was the Messiah.  The Saviour of the world.
From her lineage came the greatest blessing God could bestow on mankind.
Rahab is an example to us all.  She shows that God will and does use anyone He pleases irrespective of gender or profession.  All they have to do is believe and act on their faith.
No one remembers the leaders of Jericho, but the lowly prostitute Rahab is remembered in the very opening words of the New Testament.  Her faith is remembered in the book of Hebrews amid the mention of great men of God.
She is remembered with great men such as Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephathah, David, Samuel and the prophets.  All who acted on their faith.
The lesson to be learned here is that:

1, God is the God of all people

2, no one is exempt from the salvation He offers

3, He will use anyone, including you.

All God wants from us is faith.  Hebrews 11:6 states:
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.".
Think about it.