Memories in Melton Mowbray

I have visited Melton Mowbray a few times over recent years. It is a quiet market town with the number of shops constantly reducing. The roads are very busy as it is a main route between Loughborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Grantham. Forty footers seem to specialise in winding their way through the town. One thing that did surprise me was that nearly all of the banks were represented in the town. In an age when banks are closing right, left and centre it is good to see a town where you can still 'visit the bank'.

We were in the town with a group of teenagers from a Bible Camp that I was speaking at in Harby, which is quite near by. I took the opportunity to have a look around and I have posted some photographs of the Melton Mowbray Town Estate. The Town Estate was established in 1549 and it has had a beneficial and positive influence on the townspeople of the Melton Mowbray. From the parts I saw the town is pretty and well kept. The Melton Mowbray Town Estate is in a fact an ancient charity, which was well ahead of it's time, carrying out all the functions that are now normally provided by local authorities. For example the Melton Mowbray Town Estate does or did the following:

1. educate the children of the town (for over 320 years), 
2. built a grammar school and other schools, 
3. maintain the roads in the town, 
4. constructed bridges, 
5. provide street lighting, 
6. provide a burial ground, 
7. provided and maintained public wells and pumps for water, 
8. provided a fire engine and escape ladder, 
9. provided maintenance of the church clock and chimes, and since 1850
10. it has been running weekly street markets. 

Wow, this is quite an amazing organisation especially in light of the length of time these services have been provided. That's old England for you. Civilisation at it's best. 

Yet, a town with such organisation and careful provision of services has still faced many days of sadness. Efficiency and even a caring community spirit cannot protect people from days of trauma and heartbreak. 

As I read the information boards about this community I was struck by the fact that this idyllic corner of England also had boards remembering the loss of life in 'The Great War'. It still had a 'Roll of Honour' remembering the souls who had given their lives for the freedom of it's people. Evil had disturbed the quiet lifestyle of it's people. The cruel hand of death has visited many a home as young men and women laid down their lives for the hard earned liberties we still enjoy.

Why should it be so I ask? Why does evil wreck everything? Why is life all of sudden shipwrecked by sadness and disaster? Is there hope of anything ever improving. You might argue that this was the past and that there will never be such wars again. My prayer is that it might not happen but I am not so sure. Most people see the potential of war in the actions and rhetoric of our current world leadership. 

The reason for the wickedness in the heart of humans is stated plainly in the Bible. Romans chapter 5 verse 12 states 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned'. 

This is why evil exists and why it regularly affects every generation. But what can be done about it? Evil and it's disastrous effects are inevitable and unavoidable but is there anything that can be done to change the human heart?

The teaching of scripture is that we do not have the resources within ourselves to solve the problems of sin and evil. We cannot change human hearts by education, religion or any philosophical schemes. But there is an answer!

I will end by pointing you to the only realistic answer that I know - The Lord Jesus Christ. If you have read this so far please don't stop now. I believe that you need to hear what I have to say.

The teaching of Jesus answers the questions about evil and offers the solution. The solution is based on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He said one day when anticipating his death on the cross 'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me -- This he said, signifying what death he should die,' John 12:32,33. The Lord Jesus was not saying that everyone would become a believer because of his death. He was saying that all sorts of people would come to him for salvation. 

Salvation and conversion is the greatest need of the human race. Our hearts are deceitful and wicked. Salvation doesn't reform our old sinful nature but make us new creations and gives us life to replace the deadness we had because of sin. 

I'll end with another quote from the Lord Jesus. It's found in Matthew chapter 18 verse 3 Jesus said 'Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven'. 

What we need is conversion, individual by individual. Personal repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

If you have questions and more information have a read of some of my other blogs and/or get in touch via stepcar61@gmail.com.  

I'll get round to it sometime - maybe tomorrow!

I’ll get round to it sometime – maybe tomorrow!

How good are you at complaining. One man who was interviewed recently on television reminded us 

that whinging is different to complaining. Whinging is apparently just moaning but not doing anything about it. Formal complaining means that you are holding the service provider responsible for what they do or do not do and making sure that you get what you are paying for.

I have just come back from a trip to Africa. En-route our cases stayed in Dubai while we flew to Lusaka. They caught up with us eventually but we have a claim to lodge for extra expenses incurred as a result of an extra night that we stayed in Lusaka. Have I submitted it yet? I think you probably can guess the answer. 

Most of us feel that we deserve to get what we pay for. This is only fair and it is our right but how 

many of us actually get round to complaining when things go wrong. The purpose for writing this 

article is not actually to encourage you to complain (not that it would be a bad thing) but to point out

that most of us don’t get round to it very often. We mean to but we don’t quite get round to it. That’s 

true about a lot of things.

Think about this for example. How many of us have joined a gym and never used it? How often do we 

think about slimming but never quite get there? Or your mortgage – you know the rate could be lower 

but because of the hassle of changing provider we never get round to it. All of these examples are about

things that could improve our lives but we put off doing anything about it.

I want to ask you to consider another area of your life which we all tend to ignore and pretend that it’s 

too much hassle – that is your relationship or lack of one with God. We can all argue why we don’t 

think God is real but in our hearts we know that God is there. Most of us live life as if it will never end 

and accuse people of being morbid who raise the issues of life after death. But we all know that we will 

die one day and to ignore the afterlife is fatal. You say if I’m wrong, I’m wrong but the reality is if 

you’re wrong you will be lost forever in a place you don’t want to be. 

The reality is that when it comes to life and death, existence and consciousness, God, heaven, hell and 

the why do we exist questions we can’t work it all out on our own. We don’t have the capacity and 

ability to get our hands on the all the information we need. We weren’t about when the world began, 

we can’t propel ourselves forward to see what the future holds but we can access the greatest book ever 

given to humanity to read what God has revealed. This book, the bible, was given to us by God and it 

truthfulness in the ordinary things of life can be verified i.e. what it says about geography, history, 

science, medical issues etc. It was written this way to give us confidence that if it stacks up in the things 

we can understand then we can afford to trust God about the issues we don’t know about i.e. the big 

issues of life which affect us all.

The Bible is God’s revelation. He is telling us things that we would not otherwise know or understand.

I am asking you to consider this and to think it through. Here are some of the things God explains:

Why there is hurt, pain and death in life?  

God’s book says ‘by one man (Adam) sin came into the world and death by sin and so death passed 

upon all men’. We hurt because of the choices we make. Ignoring God hurts and not living the way that 

God created us to live hurts. 

Is there more to life than this? 

Jesus said that he came into the world so that we could have life as God intended. He explained that 

‘God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not 

perish but have everlasting life’. God’s love for the human race was such that he sent His own Son, 

Jesus, into the world not to condemn us but to save us. It is the death of Jesus on the cross that paid in 

full the price that was required to clear our guilt and reconcile us to God. 

Is there life after death? 

The bible teaches there is. God has been there forever. He is the great uncaused cause of everything. 

The bible tells of an afterlife but it also teaches that Christ Jesus came into the world from heaven, the 

eternal living place of God. More than that it teaches that Jesus came back to life three days after he 

died and that over 500 people were witnesses of this.

But back to you. 

What are you going to do this time? Ignore what is being said! Look into it further? Read the Bible for 

yourself? Seek the Lord and pray, calling out to God to hear and answer. Can I remind you – there will 

come a time when it will be too late! Prepare to meet God today.

 

Leicester Girls Camp

This is the second day of camp. We arrived yesterday about 1700, had tea and then after a game for the campers headed to the meeting hall. One of the main reasons for this week of camp is to introduce young people to the word of God (the Bible) and to give them a clear understanding of their need of salvation. So last night I started by speaking about image and appearance. We all look at ourselves in a certain way but as most of us admit, in our saner moments, we don't always tell ourselves the truth. We think about ourselves more highly than we ought to and we overlook our flaws and sins when it suits us. That's what the Bible means when it states in Jeremiah 17:9 that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" We are not capable of being honest with ourselves all of the time.

But the reality is that God is painfully honest. In the same passage we are told that "I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings," Jeremiah 17:10. God doesn't look at the outward appearance, as we do, he looks at the heart and his conclusion is that all have sinned and come short of His glory.

The good news is that God the 'Father sent the Son, Jesus, to be the Saviour of the world'. Our hearts might deceive us but God want to forgive us. His Son died to pay the price to provide salvation. Our part is to turn from our sin, repent, and trust His Son for salvation. 

Your response is....

God does not break His promises!

This is a tremendous statement but can I be confident that it is true.

Firstly, as a Christian I accept that the Bible is the word of God. There are many valid and persuasive reasons that convince me that the Bible is the word of God but that discussion is not for today. The Bible says that all the promises of God will ultimately be fulfilled in and through the Lord Jesus (see 2.Cor.1.20).

My second reason for believing this statement is the evidence of what God has done to date. In Romans chapter 15 verse 8 we learn that the Lord Jesus ‘confirmed the promises made to the fathers’. In other words He did what God had promised He would do. We find a similar statement in Titus chapter 1 verses 2 & 3. God promised ‘eternal life’ and the Lord Jesus provided it. If God has never broken His promises to date why would I assume that he will break them in the future?

If you happen to be reading this and are not a believer in Jesus Christ then you will find this truth quite disturbing. If God never goes back on His word then you are in big trouble. For among the many promises that God has made is this. He has promised to judge the world at the end of time (Acts.17.31). That judgement is personal as well as national/international. The judge is the Lord Jesus (John.5.22) and the assessment will be absolutely fair and evidence based (Rev.20.11-15). God will always do what is right and justice will always be carried out in the end.

If you are a believer look and pray for an opportunity today to tell someone about your experience with God. Share Gods word with them – you and they will be blessed by it.