How will you turn out in the tough times?

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In the world of nature, we only really find out whether a tree is evergreen when the season turns to winter.  Throughout all the other seasons, to the untrained eye, it can be hard to tell the difference between those trees that will eventually shed their leaves and those that will keep them. Yet once the sun fails to climb quite as high in the sky and the temperature drops, the truth begins to emerge. When winter sets in, it soon becomes clear which trees have kept hold of their leaves and which have not.

And so it is, too, with us. Perhaps we do not really know what we are made of until we encounter a little winter in our lives. When things are at their toughest, when life feels at its most frail, that is when we really find out what kind of people we are. Can we remain evergreen and still able to keep singing in the deep dark of winter? 

Following Jesus

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My Bible reading this morning was about the conversion of a Roman Centurion. He was a most unlikely candidate to become a follower of Jesus (the term Christian was not used at that time, but that was what he became).

Roman Centurions (I am generalising now) were usually battle hardened, professional, cynical, no nonsense type of people. Faith in the unseen or putting your trust in someone else was not how they normally operated unless, of course, it was obeying their commanding officer. They usually liked to be in control, pragmatic and deal in realities i.e. things that could be seen, touched and controlled. Maybe you are like that and quite cynical about spiritual matters.

Before I talk about Cornelius, that was his name, let me tell you about another Centurion. The Gospel writer, Matthew, tells us about him. Jesus had just arrived in Capernaum when a group of men from a synagogue approached him asking him to come to this unnamed Centurion’s house to heal his servant who was dying. There are a couple of things that are unusual about this story (read it in Luke 7:1-10 or Matthew 8:5-13). 

Death - Can you really face it with hope?

Death seems hopeless but let me remind you that even in a hopeless situation there is hope to be found in Jesus.

Facing Death

From time to time I visit people who are sick. Sometimes I call at their homes, but often I pop into the hospital to see them. Hospitals can be very sad places. The circumstances and struggles of life and the prospect of facing death are often confronted head-on in a hospital.

Nurses, Doctors, Porters and Cleaners are often amazing people. Their skills and abilities far exceed the basic requirement to clean, transport and provide medical care. Usually, it is these unrecognized people who have a kind word to say and the ability to encourage, amuse and lift a person’s spirit. They are quite an amazing group of people.

How to handle your mistakes!

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An article was published some time back that discussed whether or not erasers should be banned from classrooms. It was suggested that they create a culture of shame about error — that they are a way of lying to the world, which says, ‘I did not make a mistake. I got it right the first time.’

Whilst one spokesman thought the banning of erasers would be a harsh action, he pointed out that, ‘the observation of children’s mistakes is essential to good teaching… teachers need to observe all the attempts children make so that they can target their instruction.’

How would we feel about all our mistakes being left permanently on display? What if, in the process of making a chair I cut one leg too short — must I leave it, or should it be removed and replaced? In these circumstances, I am sure you will agree that the matter needs to be put right.

A Contract out on your life?

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There is a hymn that I enjoy which celebrates the "wonderful change"  the Lord Jesus can make in a sinner's life. It is called "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart." and the first verse goes like this-

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought   

Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,

Since Jesus came into my heart!

Here is a story that illustrates this only too well. Violent John Lawson had done it all - from planning robberies and running London's biggest brothel to kidnap and extortion. He was even cold-heartedly planning a murder, until his life was radically changed. His 'legit' side was working as a bodyguard for Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond and bands like REM and AC/DC.

What would you give for a Sports Car?

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A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible on his father’s desk.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

Sometimes the packaging can be deceptive. Every year in December we commemorate the birth of a child who came in humility – born into a working class family and laid in a manger.

To the religious and influential of His day, this child was unacceptable because, in their eyes, He came packaged wrongly.  In their judgement He was from the wrong place, brought up in the wrong family, and taught things that clashed with their traditions. They wanted a king born in a palace to become their Messiah and they could not accept a humble servant as their king.

Sadly even today people find the servant heart of the Lord Jesus Christ unacceptable. He just does not fit in with their expectations. 

On the other hand, the ones who discover His true worth discover the reality of the words, “To those who received Him, to them gave He the authority to become the children of God.”

Written by Stephen Treseder For Messages with Meaning (18/04/21) and Your542Day

Do you really love people?

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There was a married couple who were disappointed not to have children of their own but they, and the husband, in particular, always claimed that they loved children.  They enjoyed having their nephews and nieces around their home and always thought they were good with children. 

They kept their garden very nicely, and it bordered on to a golf course along which they sometimes took walks.  One summer’s day, the husband was laying a concrete path to a gate that led onto the course.  He had dug out the footings and laid the boards along each side and had hired one of those machines that squirt the concrete into the right place and then spent a long time smoothing it out until it shone like glass. It was a wonderful job, well done, and he was so pleased with his accomplishment. 

Do you think you are good enough for God?

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When we talk to others, there are always things that we do not mind them hearing and other things that we would be so ashamed of if they became public knowledge.

Some people will often tell you how they helped others, did a good deed or gave money to a charity. These things are good, of course, and we should do more things like this. However, it is possible to become proud or boastful about them.

New Year Challenges & Changes

A new year brings challenges and changes. Can I remind you of some of the more important challenges we may meet in this life, and the changes we need to make to be prepared.

New Year Challenges

A New Year brings fresh challenges and opportunities but life is so unpredictable! At times, the variety life brings can be very exciting but sometimes it’s a bit frightening. That flood in the house, the illness that took us by surprise! The speed of change and our helplessness can be disconcerting! As mere mortals, we cannot control our circumstances and have to try to cope with what is inevitable as well as we possibly can.

Does a debt crisis put you in personal danger?

Is a personal debt crisis dangerous?

It has been alarming to hear not only of individuals in debt, but also news of countries teetering on the brink of bankruptcy has sent a shudder through the entire world. For too long, governments have spent foolishly and have failed to curb reckless investments by banks and financial institutions. The result, precipitated by the credit collapse of 2008, has been that massive debts have been incurred that have left even the International Monetary Fund with worrying problems on their minds and many countries feeling that the problem had reached irremediable proportions.

Austerity measures, deeply unpopular with the citizens of the countries affected, have had to be introduced before financial "bale-outs" could be sanctioned by leading economies. Public services have had to be slashed; public assets have had to be sold off and other draconian measures have been introduced to alleviate, even in a very small way, this mammoth problem. The result has been a debt crisis of unprecedented severity that has left some countries saddled with debts that could never be paid, amounting to many trillions of dollars; figures that are incomprehensible.

Surely if there is a God and He is a God of love He wouldn't punish us?

Never, I hear you say!

You may be asking ‘I thought God was love, so wouldn’t it be out of character for Him to punish us?’

Let’s look at what God tells us about ourselves and the wrong we do. Listen to His words in Ezekiel 33:11 – ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live’. God’s aim is not to punish us for our sin, He wants us to turn from sin and live!

Listen again to the word of God. ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’. 

Think of this, God is angry with the wicked and that includes every one of us. Adam brought sin into the world so we are all sinners and continue to disobey Him. If we ignore His directions in the Bible, we will have hurt and sadness in our lives and eventually God’s judgment. God had warned that this would be the result of disobeying Him.

So would it be out of order if God was to punish us? Maybe you can now see that it would it be out of character for God not to punish us! However, the message of the Bible is that God sent His
Son to be the Saviour of the world, that the punishment which we deserve because of our sin was laid upon God’s Son, Jesus Christ. So we have a way to be freed from punishment and forgiven of our sin.

In fact, the truth is that only those who refuse to believe on the ‘name of the Son of God’ will face the eternal judgment of God for sin. 

This message is for you, so that you will be warned about God’s Day of Judgment which is coming, and so you will ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’ and be saved. 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.