What is your most valuable posession?

What is your most valuable possession?

It’s a good question; I wonder how you would answer it? If we are being honest, our answer will depend, to some extent, on our circumstances. For instance, if I was terminally ill what I thought was important would be completely different to my choice in sunnier days. Car, homes, holidays and technology might be important to me now, but they have little value if life is slipping from my grasp. I hope that family, relationships and my spiritual condition will be my focus if I get time to contemplate my departure from this life to the next.

The most glorious word in the English language - Forgiveness

 

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

In the New Testament Jesus spoke to a man in need with these important and life-changing words, “Your sins are forgiven you” (Luke 5.20) and they brought wonderful comfort to the man who heard them. We also read in the New Testament these words, “And Jesus said unto her, Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7.48). and the woman who heard Jesus speak was greatly blessed.

These are the only two examples in the New Testament of Jesus telling people directly that their sins were forgiven, with one being male and the other female. This simply reminds us that God’s forgiveness is available to anyone whether man or woman, because we are all in the same spiritual condition of having sinned by breaking God’s commandments and therefore needing His forgiveness.

Jesus and the Priceless Masterpiece

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

I’d like to draw your attention to a man called Harold St. John. Harold St. John lived from 1876 to 1957. He preferred to have his name pronounced “sin-jun”, feeling that the title of "saint" was too superior sounding. But if anyone wanted an example of saintliness, they could have pointed in Harold St. John's direction.

He was a banker and would be pretty well known amongst Christians in certain circles but today he has been pretty much lost from sight.

 

Harold St. John was a man who traveled a lot in business and was called to preach the Gospel and to teach the Word of God, which he did on a worldwide basis. He had a tremendous ability to get alongside people and to talk to them about the Lord Jesus.

Long Days of Summer

 

Midsummer day is here, writes Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall, in fact it was yesterday. The sun will be at its highest overhead, and the hours of daylight will be at their longest for another year.

For us in Fife there is very little real darkness overnight just now, and the farther north you go the less darkness there is. Within the Arctic Circle the sun does not dip below the northern horizon for a few weeks, and it seems that day never ends. Of course, in midwinter it’s a different story! Don’t think we’d like 24-hour darkness, and cold too! So make the most of these evenings when daylight stretches on until after 10 p.m., or these bright mornings if you get up with the lark. Each day is important, use it well.

Sir Fred Hoyle - The scientist whose investigations changed his thinking about God.

Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) Professor of Astronomy, was an Evolutionist who investigated the possibility of life evolving by chance and came to the conclusion that there must be a God.

Let me tell you a little more about Sir Fred, his background and his life changing discovery.

Sir Fred was one of Britain’s most influential astronomers. He worked for many years at Cambridge University and helped explain how the elements in the universe were formed inside stars—a major scientific breakthrough.  He became famous (and sometimes controversial) for challenging the Big Bang theory—ironically, he’s the one who coined the phrase 'Big Bang' during a BBC radio broadcast. He preferred a “steady‑state” view of the universe, believing it had no beginning.  Hoyle was also a gifted communicator. He wrote science‑fiction novels, radio plays, and even TV scripts, often with his son Geoffrey.  Although not a Christian, Hoyle’s study of the origin of life led him to conclude that the universe showed signs of intelligent design, a view that surprised many of his scientific peers.

When will we listen and do something about it?

The late Harold Wilson, former Prime Minister and leader of the U.K. Labour Party, said, "A week is a long time in politics". This must have been so for the Eurozone leaders when they met in Brussels to find a solution to the Euro crisis. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said, "If the Euro fails, Europe fails." There is an inevitability to her words, which may have prompted her fellow national leaders to pull back from the brink of total collapse. They agreed on a bailout plan initially for Greece but also for other tottering countries, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland, which also had major debt problems. Many newspaper financial commentators were sceptical about whether this plan would be implemented in time; they had heard euphemisms before, but now they wanted to hear words that would work. One lady said that they were kicking the can down the road. We understand her words to mean that, at some point in time, someone has got to pick the can up. Though battered and damaged, it had to be addressed; there was no point in kicking it further down 'Debt Avenue'.

When I worked as a travelling preacher in Cornwall, the locals would say that if it rained for two weeks, there would be floods, and if it didn't rain for two weeks, there would be a drought! It was inevitable! It always puzzled me why an area with so much rainfall could not conserve it in reservoirs for the tourists that often triple the county's population when the sun shines. 

Management of the earth's resources is vital, as the world's population is around 8.3 billion, and over one-half of them live in poverty without access to clean water. Every human being depends on water; our bodies are approximately 60% water, and we cannot survive for many days without it. In many places in Africa they have to go to where clean water is available, fill their cans, place the vessel on their heads, and carry it home, sometimes over a great distance. Share Africa is a Christian charity that helps village communities in various ways, including by paying for books and children's education. They also put wells in villages so they can pump water into a storage tank for families to draw water from, saving them a long walk to the river. Other charities do similar things and are commendable for the hard work they do.

The prayer of an old saint

Billy Graham's Prayer for the United States of America

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values..

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free.Amen!'

Ruth Bell Graham's Prayer

Many years ago, the future wife of Billy Graham prayed the prayer at the end of this post. Her prayer was undoubtedly answered. 

Have you ever made a note of your prayers? It’s the only way to know if your prayers are answered. God hears and answers prayers. 

The first prayer we need to make is the prayer of repentance. Here are some verses that confirm this truth.

Before you read the verses let me explain what the word repent means. To repent means a change of place or condition, to exercise the mind, think, comprehend. It is a change of mind or to relent. 

Theologically, it involves regret or sorrow, accompanied by a true change of heart toward God. It is distinguished from mere regret - summary of definition from 'The Complete Word Study Bible'. 

Nothing lasts for ever - or does it?

Life is indeed a journey marked by constant change and the inevitability of loss. We all grapple with the reality that we will age, that loved ones will one day leave us, and that children will grow up and forge their own paths. These truths can weigh heavily on our hearts, but there is profound hope found within the pages of the Bible.

At the core of this hope is the belief that we possess an eternal soul, a fundamental aspect of our being that transcends physical death. This idea, however, is becoming increasingly dismissed in modern thinking. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking famously articulated his view of human existence by likening our brains to computers, which cease to function once their components fail. He stated unequivocally, "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers. That is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark." While Hawking's statement may resonate with some, it fails to consider the complexities of human consciousness and the spiritual dimension that is integral to our existence.

Reunions - It's nice to meet up again

I love reunions. At the time of writing this blog I was off to a reunion. Thankfully we all saw each other in the summer when we ran a youth camp together but often reunions mean coming together again after long times of separation.

Not seeing someone can be heart wrenching and difficult!

In the Bible we are told about lots of reunions. The lost son, also called the prodigal son, is welcomed home after a disasterous time away from home. Sin and hurt were the result of a wrong decision he had made. However the Father welcomed the lost son back with open arms when he returned acknowledging that he had been wrong. This story is in the Gospel of Luke chapter 15.

God is like this with us.

We went our own way.
We sinned.
We did our own thing.
We got hurt.
We cannot get it back together without Him.
We need to admit that we are wrong.

When we come he receives us. Why - because the Lord Jesus has taken the punishment for us by dying for our sins. God can forgive us on this basis.

Why not confess your sin and ask God to forgive you - HE WILL.

One minute can change everything?

 

A lot can change in a minute. We all know the cliches about a week being a long time (in politics), and a lot can happen in a day, but the truth is that life can change completely in less than a minute. 

For instance, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, something can happen that you never envisaged and suddenly, everything changes. I’ll never forget when eleven-year-old Rhys Jones from my home city of Liverpool was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He lived in a respectable home in a decent area of the city. His mum worked in our local Tesco Store. He was just an ordinary boy enjoying life, loving his football and playing out, as boys do. But on that sad day, he died in the crossfire between two rival gangs. For the Jones family on the 22nd of August 2007, everything changed in a moment. His life was ended, his parents and family were devastated, and his blood was on the hands of the young man who pulled the trigger and those who were involved in providing the weapon. 

I apologise if the recall of this tragic incident drags up painful memories for any who read this. I cannot express my sympathy enough for your loss and the lifelong grief that results from it. I’m not writing to try to explain why such horrible things happen - apart from the obvious fact that people are capable of doing evil things and good and that they will be held responsible for what they have done on the future day of judgment. I am writing to remind you of how life can change irrevocably in a moment. 

So, what are the lessons we need to learn and what difference can they make in our lives? There are many!

Enjoy the moment!

Value and cherish your relationships!

Don’t take people for granted!

Make the most of the time you have!

Things are not that important; people are!

Tell people you care and appreciate them while you can!

Try to live without regrets!

As much as it depends on you, live at peace with others!

Forgive and forget!