A Reason To Be Glad

How can anyone complain when the invitation is there to be 'invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb'.  It gives great hope for each day and a reason to keep on going on.

Another reason for hope is that our beautiful world was created by God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  (A mystery I know, but true none the less. A mystery in the sense that of there being a distinction implied between The Word and God.)

The first daffodils of spring, the blooming of tulips, the snow carpeting the ground giving a completely different landscape to what was before - all beautiful changes and renewal.  How great and how good is God.  The nations do His will and we're invited to be part of it.

So, to love your neighbour, that is to care about his welfare, perhaps even putting him first, might be the opposite to our inclination, but is nevertheless, the best choice.  Especially if it's done that He, through His Son, might receive the honour and the glory.

I need to be reminded about these things. I need to remember them, hope in them and live by them.

There's nothing for sale on this entry because we don't need to pay anything when we call on His name. It's free.  What He gives is given to us through His grace.

Does Your Heart Break Sometimes?

The outpoured spirit, and Pentecost
Mine does.  Mainly at the sin I am aware of in my own life.
People blame God when things go wrong.  One can only blame God if one is righteous.  More righteous than He.  And that is simply not possible.

How many parents take the time to teach their children not to get involved with fortune tellers and their wares?  Look at Yahoo as an example.  It makes money and keeps its customers by allowing them the Horoscope facility.  Where is the 'caring' for the soul of society, in that?  Does it surprise you that God hates them (fortune tellers)?  Why - because they destroy humanity. 

We hear all about 'loving your neighbour', but if you conceal truth from him/her, you don't love them.  It's Jesus who is God's righteousness.  Even the fortune teller can be saved by the grace of God.  But if they don't know their error, how can they turn away from it?

At least Google - even with it's 'and more' choices, does not go down that route.  Could it be a reason why Google prospers?

But back to humanity. Take care of your children's future.  Give them the opportunity of standing in God's sight as people through whom His will can be done on earth.  There is that hymn that is sung ..'Build Jerusalem in England's green and pleasant land'..

Is it likely that that is what they 'saw'?  They heard the Word of God and wanted England to be built on it's principals?  It was a great nation. 

The book on display has very positive reveiws.

Is There An Argument Against Industrialism?

Are you a fan of artist CLS. Lowry?  His paintings depict the grey days brought about by the multitude of belching chimneys as a result of the Industrial Revolution.  What has industrialization achieved?  More jobs?  Or a different type of job?

More skilled jobs, some would say.

What it did do, was to introduce machinery.  Which greatly increased the rate of production.  Was this a good move?  Almost everybody would answer 'Yes', but that are a few who wonder...

Smoke inhalation causes Carsinomas - who wants them?  Operating machinery for mass production is seldom a skilled job.  More often it is just the opposite - mind-numbingly boring.  Take, for example, the making, in vast quantities, of the various intricate components that make up a water meter.

The machines are large, hot and unhealthy.  The operator of each is small, bored and only human.  His, or her job is to place one insert, or maybe more, accurately, just so, into the proper spot in the bowels of the machine.  Then, up goes a hand, push goes the button, and the moving section of the machine clanks shut.

Two minutes later, the moving section clanks open, the operator takes out the finished component, puts in the inserts for the next one, up goes the hand, the machine clanks shut.....  This goes on for twelve hours, interrupted only for two ten-minute tea-breaks and half an hour for lunch.

Day after day.  A tribute, then, is due to those who do it, for persisting.

Why do they persist?  Because mouths must be fed, bills need to be paid... And so it goes on...

The bright spot is the camaradarie and friendships which build up on the 'shop floor'.  This is what being human is - finding something good about life and connecting with other people.Drawings of L.S. LowryL. S. Lowry RA - 1887 - 1976 - Royal Academy of Arts, London - 4 September to 14 November 1976

The Israel of God

Our hope comes from the faithfulnes of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob which means our roots are in their testimony of God.  When a sinner is forgiven and becomes a member of God's family it is a day in which to be glad.  We are grafted in to the family of God.

This is the essence of what we have.  It isn't something we can lay claim to in terms of who our parents were or what our national pride is.  What there is to be glad in is that one can now belong to God.  Actually known by name to Him.

God gave the covenant to Abraham and it was continued from there, through the line of Isaac and Jacob and their families.  In reality it does not matter if it was not through the line of another because IN CHRIST we are made ONE. 

There is no other way.  And that is not something to be mad at God about.  Instead it is something to be thankful for that He made room for you, no matter what your family background was.  Were you born into Israel?  Probably not, but your chance of being part of the Israel of God is real and living and true.  And that is only through Christ.

Those truths are not visible with the naked eye.  They are revealed by God through His Spirit.  Received by faith.  Work on these truths, remind God of His eternal covenant, build on this and you are doing the will of God.

OK, but no what about money?  What about the everyday needs of life?  Well, what about a Day Of Rest?
How many nations today bother with this?  Yet, we are told quite distinctly that God will judge nations according to His Word.  Christians observe the day of rest as a Sunday because that is the day the Lord rose from the dead.  But one day should be set aside as a rest day for reflection and worship of the living God.

Going back to our everday needs.  We pay taxes so that Governments use the money for the best purpose for their country.  Again, they will be judged on this.  But our tithe still goes to the Lord.  That's on top of taxes.  May God give us grace to pursue this policy with Him.

Introduce Yourself To Maximillian Kolbe

From a paperback called 'Candles In The Dark', is the abbreviated story of Maximillian Kolbe.  It was the first time I'd heard of him.  I'm not a Roman Catholic, but this man showed the kind of fruit which draws people to the living God.

He died in 1941 in Auschwitz as prisoner number 16670, giving his life in the place of another prisoner.  There had been an escape from the prison and ten prisoners were called forward to be put to death as a deterrent to any others escaping.  He volunteered to take the place of man number eight because this poor soul was sobbing that he would never see his wife and children again.

Maxmillian Kolbe was born into and brought up in a Roman Catholic household.  As a young boy he had a vision of Mary holding out two crowns to him, one white, one red.  The white crown denoted purity while the red, martyrdom.  He chose both.

He worked in Poland and Japan in the promoting of Christianity.  The promotion was mainly through the work of printing houses which he opened and ran together with others of his order.  He was also instrumental in hiding and preserviing the lives of around 2000 Jews during the war.

One of the nicest things about this man's life is that there are living witnesses to what he did and what he was like. Even in his death, his good works followed him.  'After the war he became as powerful a symbol in Germany as in Poland, and the Germans were as eager as the Poles for his recognition.'

This is one man's life that worth reading about.Saint of Auschwitz: Story of Maksymilian KolbeAuschwitz: True Tales From a Grotesque LandA Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz, In the Words of Those Who Knew Him

Are There Virgins In Heaven?

It's a question which arises when one is told that suicide bombers are assured that their reward will be a certain number - 10 - (is it?) of virgins waiting for them in heaven.

This is a hard one.  Does God really reward dead young men with virgins?  What about the virgins?  Do they have any say in the matter?  If they exist, can they not choose for themselves who it is they want to marry?  It just does not seem to be the kind of thing which the living God does.  After all, Mary, the Lord's mother, was given a choice.  She could have said 'No'.

What is it that we know about God?  We know that if we sow to the Spirit, we shall reap eternal life of the Spirit.  What does sowing to the Spirit mean?  It means treasuring as important those things which God treasures.  Laying up treasure in heaven and walking by faith in His Word.  Honoring all men and in the Church even submitting to one another.  Asking God to show you the way of good works, so that all men may give glory to God because of the good things they see you do.

What about money?  Another difficult one.  There are those who say you do not need to give anything to do with money to God.  That He does not require it.  Yet Abraham paid a tenth of all he had to Melchizedek.  The thing is, whatever we have here, is as a result of what God created.  It belongs to Him anyway.  Giving back a tenth is such a little.  It's also a really good discipline.  It helps you to exercise faith, makes you think hard about what you really need when it comes to spending your money, and helps you to think less about your own needs and that tiny bit more about the needs of others.

If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, then there is another point for consideration.  He said that to those who were counted worthy of standing in God's presence in the ages to come, 'neither married nor were given in marriage'. No virgins there then.

None of this seems to suggest that there are virgins waiting for suicide bombers.  Rather it suggests a place 'state' in which this present world no longer has any influence.

The 'new heavens and new earth' has not come yet. We wait for it.

So here in this place, on this earth, we still need to look out for the betterment of others, and that the Lord will bring to nothing those who have an agenda which is not in His will.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Niggle

Two actually.

Do you talk to a 'hole in the wall', 'ATM' machine, or whatever they want to call it?  I do.  They are so annoying. 

They have those 'serve yourself' checkouts at the supermarkets these days.  The 'virtual assistant' constantly bleeps 'put your item into the bagging area',  'put your item into the bagging area'.  My item is in the bagging area. I just can't get it into the bag.  One has to scrabble to get the plastic shopping bag opened.  They're either stuck together so well that both hands are needed to separate them or else they are not hooked up properly on the 'arms' which  hold them and they have to be set up to hold the shopping. Again, both hands are needed to do this. In the meantime, there is the item to be bagged plus one's purse or handbag to be held onto too. 

Add this to the small size of the bagging area - two full shopping bags max.  And then the machine shuts down on you and you have to alert an assistant.  And where are they?  Nowhere near.  Why not use the queue check out?  Quite literally, because there's a queue and it's slow moving at that.

Does the 'virtual assistant' stopping bleeting?  No.  It's probably OK if you tell her to Shut Up.  She can't accuse you of being rude.

The next is bus shelters.  Excuse me, did you read 'bus shelters'?  Who and what exactly are they meant to shelter?

It certainly is not people.  They have a short and narrow roof, one side, and they make sure your feet freeze because they are open at the bottom, even when there is one side.  It's hard to believe isn't it.  Here in the UK, the weather is cold, wet or windy for at least 6 months of the year.  There is often talk of getting people to 'use the bus' and 'be environmentally friendly'.  With bus shelters like that, they've got to be joking. 

The only people who benefit from those are the ones who designed and built them and managed to persuade some council to put them up.  It really makes you wonder who's greasing whose palm.