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Glen Park Gospel Church >> Archive >> Editorial >> 2021
Each month the Glen Park Gospel Church produce a one page newsletter called the Green Leaf. It's available from the chapel each Sunday. Some months include a topical article or report. We thought you might appreciate reading those previously published.
From Here, Where?
What ever our past, whatever our present, there are only three options for God's earthbound creatures. We can go on, or go back or we can stand still. The Lord's instruction to the Israelites was short and direct. What He said through Moses to the Israelites was brief and decisive. Behind them and fast closing in, the Egyptian army, before them the salty waters of the Red Sea whipped by a stormy East wind. What an awful predicament. But that was not God's way!
The Israelites were all for going back. v12 tells it. "Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." But that was not God's way!
Moses was all for standing still. "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today." But neither was that God's way!
The Lord's message to His servant Moses was decisive, positive and full of hope. "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward." God's way is ever forward. It is never turning back.
Twenty, Twenty One must be a year to advance. We have no option. It is a year to grow strong in the Lord. Failures, biting criticisms, distrust, unbelief and whatever else, are all behind us. These sins and other things more personal, we confess and seek forgiveness through the grace and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Laying hold of God's forgiveness we fold them up and put them away with the old year.
God's way is ever to go forward. Paul tells us that in Philippians 3:13b-16.
"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained."
1
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
no turning back, no turning back.
2
Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow;
no turning back, no turning back.
3
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
no turning back, no turning back.
Anonymous - Public Domain
Finding God is an Incident, not an Accident
When a Russian cosmonaut returned from space and reported that he had not found God, C. S. Lewis responded that this was like Hamlet going into the attic of his castle looking for Shakespeare. 'If there is a God', he said, 'he wouldn't be like another object in the universe that could be put in a lab and analysed'. Lewis gives us another metaphor for knowing the truth about God when he writes that he believes in God 'as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else'.
Timothy Keller. The Reason for God. P122. Hodder. 2009.
Why is Belief in God so Airy Fairy?
The Oxford Dictionary says airy-fairy means 'idealistic, vague or insubstantial'. If we look at a Bible definition of essential Christian faith we may be inclined to believe it, because it all appears to be so 'other-worldy.'
After all, if you were to buy the teaching, what do you get? It is called 'a faith' or 'the faith'. And a faith is a trust, a trust that what you believe for, you will get some day.
In fact the Bible it self says in Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who seek him." (ESV) And what's this faith it talks about? It is just trust! It is blind trust. In some ways we can't prove that what we are signed up for is really true unless we really believe it is! Or, if you like, take the punt!
The Parable of the Motor Car
But is that so very different to any thing else? In 2008 I decided that it was time to change my motor car. The car that I then owned had served me well enough, but as I got older, I was no longer comfortable in it on long trips.
Travelling overseas I rented a car for six weeks, and the car they supplied was not the vehicle I expected. In that car we motored from one end of the country to the other, diverting here and there, crossing from this side to the other, and back again. We sat in that motor car all day, day after day and I found it unbelievably comfortable. I grew in my conviction. I must have one of these!
And now I do own one of those - as it happens, the same make, the same model and most probably the same year of manufacture. For fourteen years I have been across our country and back again, up to the top and all the way down again, and my own car has been as comfortable and reliable as the other.
What was it that convinced me? It was the unexpected overseas trial that made me consider something that I would not have otherwise believed to be available.
The Offer
Psalm thirty four offers us much good on a certain condition. What condition is that? That we seek the Lord v4, that we look to Him v5, that we call to Him when in trouble v6, and put our trust in the Him. How simple the terms of His offer. What great benefit can be ours. But we so often, even in the time of trouble, prefer to not believe His offer, and believing not is old Devil's old lie. Put our trust in ourselves! How foolish is that!
King David, the psalmist, tells us how God works in v7. He says that "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them."
Now the Lord God offers us the same reasoning concerning His call to put our trust in Him. He says try me! Here is a free sample. In Psalm 34:8 we read, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (ESV). And that is true for anyone.
On Contemplating the Blessings of Christian Living
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
Psalm 103:2-5
When I was a student in secondary school I was to the best of my knowledge, the only Christian in my student group of that year. I always sought to live as a Christian and suffered the opposition that often came against me. Now I was blessed with a Christian family. My Dad understood what I was going through. His philosophy was very simple. He said, "If you are suffering as a Christian, you have to take it for the Lord's sake. But if they are doing these things because they think that you are a soft touch, you have to show them that they are mistaken, or it will only get worse. Stand up for your self. It doesn't hurt to get hurt. What hurts is knowing that you are a wimp. If you start a fight you will find a fight when you get home. If you run away from one you will find one when you get home. Now it is often hard to know which is which until you are in the thick of it. The men (and boys) of this world then give you the respect they understand. Then you learn quickly. The Lord will give you wisdom."
Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.Do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble". Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:5-7
Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
King David contemplated all the blessing of the Lord throughout his life. "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits to me?" And at the end of his meditation he came to the conclusion that there was nothing in all his realm that he could offer. God was too rich. He, though a king, was too poor. "Throughout life I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. For at the end, precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:13&15.
Psalm 103:2-5. Scripture as found in the English Standard Version.
The Other Supper
Almost at the last minute, on the evening of His arrest and trial, Jesus attended a final celebration of the passover meal with His disciples, as those more than any other would lead God's people in the new relationship of Spirit directed service. He told them. Only Jesus and His disciples were there. "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." That meal was most significant for its exclusiveness. The communion table is for the saints. It is holy with a significance that must be experienced to be known.
However a week before that, Jesus had participated in another feast with many of those who had closely followed Him and come to love Him. It was more than anything else a friendship celebration of fellowship and devotion. It buoyed His spirit as He steadfastly turned His face toward the cross. If the other was 'The Lord's Supper', this prior gathering was 'Our Supper'.
Our Supper was a gathering of the contemporary friends of Jesus. It was held at Bethany, a town near Jerusalem, a few miles away, at the home of intimate friends, Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. Jesus at that time had only recently raised Lazaurus from the dead.
But it was more than an intimate social gathering as those who attended were representatives of the Church of all the ages was there: Mary was the Church worshipping and her anointing filled the whole house with fragrance. And the Church for all its faults is meant to be an object of fragrance to the world. Martha was the Church serving. Wherever its members go throughout this world it is working for the betterment of mankind. For all its faults she has led in the abolition of slavery, the leaders in the establishment of schools instead of child exploitation, of betterment of woking conditions for mankind. The Church is meant to be a fragrance to the whole world, even as Mary's fragrance filled the whole house. Lazarus was a draw card for there were still people who came just to look at him. And the life of Christ in the life of man through the ages has been the resurrection life. Certainly we look for the day of resurrection which still remains at the coming of Jesus, but the life that He gives us now is a foretaste of that which is to come, a sample in promise. Commitment in faith.
What did Mary have in mind when she took that incredibly expensive ointment to lavishly splash it on His head and feet? It was Pascal who said, 'The heart has a reason that reason does not know.' Her love of the Lord made her impetuous, for the "box" was a vase with a long narrow neck and the contents were meant to be spooned out with care. But Mary acted with an abandon that made others gasp. And love is like that. Jesus understood more deeply than perhaps even Mary. "Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for my burial."
And Jesus in turn anointed her in perpetuity, as he does for all His worshipping Church. "Truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." Mark 14:9
Thought for the Month
"If you look to the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll
be depressed. But if you look to Christ, you'll be at rest."
Corrie ten Boom who suffered in a Nazi
death camp.
A Mother's Love
"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem."
Isaiah 66:13
The love of God for His people is akin to the love of a mother for her infant. If we want to understand better the love of God, all we need to do is observe how a mother naturally cares and provides for her children. Not only human mothers, but almost all of nature demonstrates this natural instinct to one degree or another. The animals, reptiles and the birds may become extremely agitated when their young are separated from them.
In Australia, as in many, but certainly not all other countries, the second Sunday in May is recognised as Mother's Day. It is not set aside as an holiday, but it is commonly recognised as a special day in our calendar. Certainly the commercial world makes much of it. As soon as Easter has past, the traders sell out their hot cross buns and begin to display greeting cards, flowers and special treats for us to lavish upon our mothers.
Nor is it a special religious day in the Church calendar, but every Church will stock up on the trappings of the occasion. Some will give away a white chrysanthemum to every mother in the congregation, but others to all women. Still others to everybody who attends the day. They have their own tradition.
Is your mother alive? How long is it since you found the time to visit her? Have you moved far away from your home to establish your own? Distance is no tyranny these days with so many different means of communication. Has she passed on to her reward? Then honour her by being the quality of person that she longed for you to be, and in your prayers, thank the Lord for the sacrificial care of your mother in this world; that is so like the care and provision of the Lord for your eternal destiny.
Dr. DeHaan tells the story of little Katie who was asked a maths question by her teacher, "If your mother made a pie for the family and cut it into ten pieces. At the table there were father, mother and three children and five visitors, how much would your get?" "One ninth", replied Katie. "Katie, don’t you know your fractions?" "Yes." she replied, I know my fractions, but you don't know my mother. She would say, 'I won't have any, I don't feel like pie today!' ". He then quotes this anonymous verse.
No one knows the work it takes
To keep the home together;
Nobody knows the work it takes,
Nobody knows, but mother.
Nobody knows the lessons taught
Of loving one another;
Nobody knows the patience sought,
Nobody knows - but Mother.
Thought for the Month
"You'll never know that God is all you need until God is all you've got."
Rick Warren
Fill Your Heart and Life with the Right Things
If we comfortably, daily eat our fill of nutritious food, we will be nourished. If we eat too much, too little, or in an unbalanced way, we will likely become quite ill. The trick is to get things 'just right'.
What are the things that fill our lives? Usually we can only be filled with one thing at a time. If our heart is filled with rage, we cannot also likely we are not filled with reason. That is a meaning of Peter's, comment, "Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)." The following list tells us the things that filled the hearts and lives of people we observe in the book of Acts. 'Filled' is a Verb, an action word.
"The sound of a mighty wind filled the house where they were sitting. Acts 2.2
They were all filled with the HolySpirit and spoke a foreign language that others there understood. 2.4
All nearby in Jerusalem were filled with amazement at what had happened. 3.10
Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when preached to the people. 4.8
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly spoke the word of God. 4.31
Satan filled the heart of Ananias and Saphira so that they told lies. 5.3
The Jewish rulers were filled with indignation. 5.17
The disciples teaching filled the people of Jerusalem. 5.28
They sought for men full of faith and the Holy Spirit to serve the people's needs. 6.3,
Stephen gracefully, powerfully, did great wonders and signs among the people. 6.8.
Ananias told Paul that he might be filled with the Holy Spirit. 9.17.
Tabitha (or Dorcas) was full of good works. 9.36.
Saul/Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. 13.9.
The Jewish leaders were filled with envy at the success of the apostles. 13.45."
Your heart will be full of that with which you fill your mind.
The Value of A Smile
It costs nothing but creates much.
It enriches those who receive, without
impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash, and the memory
of it sometimes lasts forever.
None are so rich that they can get along
without it.
And none so poor but are richer for its
benefits.
It creates happiness in the home, and
fosters goodwill in business.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged,
borrowed or stolen.
It is something that is no earthly
good until it is given away.
If at some time you meet someone who
fails to give you a smile, may I not ask
that you give one of your own?
For none needs a smile so much as
those who have none to give.
From Keith Murray, passed on by Nanna Hutchinson.
Thought for the Month
"The glow of the love of God in Christ is able to melt the fetters of sin and unbelief that bind us and to free us to fall into the open arms of His love."
Professor O. Hallesby
This is My Father's World
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
Revelation 4:11
This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
"The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers."
Psalm 24:1&2 (ESV). A Psalm by David
Do you believe that? Then why are we all so worried about it? Is He not able to sustain it? For you see, He did not create this world as our battle ground or our play ground. He created it for Himself and His purposes. He will not surrender it to the caprice of mankind.
This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!
Malthie Babcock 1858 - 1901. In the Public Domain.
Colossians 1:15-20.
:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
:17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Also see:
Hebrews 1:2-4, John 1:1-3, Proverbs 8:22-36, Revelation 4:11, Hebrews 1:10-12 ESV et. al.
Was Covid19 Foretold in the Bible?
WHO named the Baby! WHO is a statement, not a question. Notice the pling! That identifies a statement. It is not an ironed out question mark. WHO is an acronym for World Health Organisation.
Covid 19. They have something to do with it all according to my search. Covid is a descendant of the SARS virus. It is new and must be professionally identified. Don't look in your concordance for Covid. I already have and the search engine returned an error message, "0 verses found".
However all is not lost. Put your finger on Luke 21, verse eleven, for there we have a number of signs foretelling the events that will herald the season of the return of the Lord Jesus as the Messiah - King of all the Earth.
"There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven." ESV
Immediately before Jesus comes, all these things - and more will occur. All of them, in a short space of time. Read all of Luke 21:10-19.
Mega Earthquakes, such as can devastate a whole city. They most often occur near the fault lines between Earth's geological plates. Israel abuts just such a fault.
Famines and Pestilences. In Greek the original language of the New Testament, it says loimoi and limoi. A play on the two words pronounced much alike in the Koine Greek*. Famines hit the poorer nations hardest, but pestilences, plagues or pandemics, can affect anyone without distinction. The spore are hard to isolate. That's what is upsetting us now. They appear easily and are hard to counter.
Terrors and signs from heaven. Here is an up to date example. It has been reported in our papers this last week that a massive asteroid known as C2014UN271 is heading our way. It is 1000 times larger than a small comet. It is already visible to sight through sophisticated telescopes and will be here in a few years. It will be enough to cause many to fear for there is nothing much we can do about it. It can do more destruction to earth than one did to few dinosaurs!
When all the promises telling of Jesu's return come together, that is, begin to be fulfilled one after the other we know that He is at the doors. There are more than 8,000 promises* throughout the Bible and many tell of the return of Jesus to earth. It is like a navigator taking readings from multiple beacons, and when the coordinates all converge on the one location the navigator knows his position and can chart his course. That is what is happening in our day. We know that Jesus is to hand. He will soon come. We are currently studying these promises in our Tuesday Bible Study. See the Services page in this months Newsletter.
* limoi, famine and loimoi, plague or disease such as Covid19.
Koine Greek was the Greek language version of many common people in Bible times.
* 8,000 promises in the Bible. There is one for you. See All the Promises of the Bible, by Herbert Lockyer, Zondervan 1962.
Thought for the Month
"There are certain weights in life you simply cannot carry. Your Lord is asking you to set them down and trust Him."
from Traveling Light,
Max Lucado.
Buried Treasure?
In January 1962 a newspaper in Pembroke, Wales, reported:
"One hundred and sixteen violins, four of the Strads, worth thousands of pounds, were today, discovered in a deserted house owned by a hermit who was buried five months ago, without a single mourner."
Neighbours said they often heard the oddly dressed recluse, Mr. Herman Idle, playing a violin, but did not believe him when he told them that he had a valuable collection. Although devoted to the violins, the recluse had deprived the world of their music.
Are you like Mr Idle, having in your salvation a priceless treasure, but keeping it to yourself. The treasure in Jesus Christ was made to share and share again.
"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Romans 12:11
Thought for the Month
"People who place their hope in God can withstand every storm in life, because they have built their lives on the only storm-proof foundation in existence."
See Matthew 7:24-27
Dr David Jeremiah
The True Christian's "Be-hive"
Quietly, thoughtfully, read these texts. They teach us a lesson. The lesson is simple to understand, but hard to practise and master. It is this: being a true Christian is not a matter of what you do, but what you are. Copying the actions of a true Christian will never make you a genuine Christian. You will be only a pretend Christian, an imitation. We must learn how to be hive as a Christian.
The lesson is simple, but hard. The true Christian life is to:
Be Content. Hebrews 13:5
Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."
Be Obedient. Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls
Be Renewed. Ephesians 4:23
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Be Repentant. Acts 3:19
Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
Be Thankful. Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Be Gentle. 2 Timothy 2:24
And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.
Be Loving in Deed. 1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.
Be Courteous. 1 Peter 3:8&9
Be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
Be Careful. 1 Corinthians 3:8-10
We are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it.
Be Gracious and Forgiving. Mat 18:21&22
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."
Be Vigilant. 1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Be Glad. 1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Be Reconciled to God. 2 Chronicles 5:20
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Be Worthy of the Gospel. Philippians 1:27
Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Be Strong. Colossians 1:11
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
And many more. But I am sure that we get the idea. In summary: being a true Christian is not a matter of what we do, no matter how good we are at it, Being a genuine Christian is a matter of being what we are. What we are determines what we will do. Others will read our character and find us out. We can only become a genuine Christian when we trust what Jesus who was raised from the dead, has done for us upon the cross, some 2,000 years ago.
Thought for the Month
"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
Martin Luther
This is My Father's World:
A Meditation
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
1. This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalm 24:1&2 ESV A Psalm by David.
Do you believe that? Then why are we all so worried about this earth? Is He not able to sustain it? For you see, He did not create this world as our battle ground or to be our play ground. He created it for Himself and His purposes. He will not surrender it to the caprice of mankind. The Bible says that He upholds all things by the word of His power. He does not need help. He knew what the demand would be before He set-to to design it! It will do all that He wants it to do, including supporting mankind.
2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world.
He shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.
Colossians 1:15-20.
:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
:17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!
Song: Malthie Babcock 1858 - 1901. In the Public Domain.
Also see: Hebrews 1:2-4, John 1:1-3, Proverbs 8:22-36, Revelation 4:11, Hebrews 1:10-12 (ESV et. al.)
Thought for the Month
Jesus calls you brother. He calls you sister.
The Lord Does Not Fail You
We are living in days of difficulty. For many of us as we get older, life becoms more difficult. Is there any encouragement? Is there any answer? Consider:
The Money Supply Fails. Supply is a finite resource. Deep demand continues. Sooner or later something has to give. We peer ahead, but we can only see so far. So we tighten our belt to make things stretch. People in Joseph's day faced this reality:
Genesis 47:15 "And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, 'Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.' "
Our Strength Fails Us. Once we thought that we could do any thing. All we need is time. All we need is money. All we need is a little understanding.
Psalm 38:10 "My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me."
Other People Fail Us. None of us is an island. We need others, our loved ones, our work mates, authorities who rule us. But they all are busy elsewhere. Job found that:
Job 19:14 "My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me."
The Waters all around us Fail, and so my soul in a time of drought. Today there are floods, but the rivers run and run till they are dry again. You can only drain the cup of as much as it holds.
Jeremiah 15:18 "Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?"
Sometimes Our Spirit Fails Us. Some people call it the will to live. We see it all the time - people resorting to suicide. I am inclined to criticise them, but there is a limit to what I myself can stand. Then I hit out. Even at those who love me,
Job 19:14 "My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me."
Here then is the Lord's promise for you: What He did for them, He can do for you in every time of difficulty that lies ahead.
1 Kings 8:56 "Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant."
Scripture verses quote the ESV
Thought for the Month
"Sowing the seeds of God's Kingdom in one life has the power to transform whole communities"
David Wraight
Christmas is a time for giving. The gift of a smile is an amazing gift we may give others which gives pleasure but costs nothing. It takes only a moment to hand over but the memory may last.
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