Plastic Surgery

A few years ago an 82 year old woman in America had major cosmetic surgery involving a face lift, botox injections to smooth out the wrinkles, lip re-sculpting, and much much more. It all had required seven hours of surgery and had cost $25,000. When she was asked why in the world she would do this, she replied that there was no point in waiting until she got any older.

Somewhere on our planet today, according to scientists, is a child who they say will still be alive 150 – 180 years from now. That sounds so incredible until, according to the same scientists, we consider how our lifespan has increased over the years.

When Jesus died at around age 33, He would have been pretty old for that part of the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the average lifespan  was 49 and many women died in childbirth. Many more people died of disease. If they lived to be 60, they were pretty old. If someone died in 1965 at the age of 74 it was considered relatively old for that time, but now the average lifespan is just over 81 years of age. The retirement age is being pushed up and there are people in their 80’s who are running marathons.  

Is common courtesy common in the UK?

When I wrote this, I had just boarded a flight from Entebbe, Uganda, to Doha on my way home to Liverpool via Manchester. As some of you know, I have worked with a group of Christian churches in Eastern Uganda for the last four years. I try to visit them once a year, have weekly online Bible studies with them, and help co-host a weekly radio program. Every time I leave Uganda, some impressions are reinforced, and fresh impressions are made. For instance, I am always impressed by how gentle and courteous the average Ugandan is (apart from when they are driving, which is another story). Courtesy is a wonderful trait that doesn't cost you anything. In Uganda, it is normal for a child or a young person to shake hands (often using two hands) and lower themselves to the ground when greeting an older person. This is not an act of subservience but an expression of respect. 

In the UK, we need to reteach our children to honour their parents and respect older people, their fellow humans and authority. I am not suggesting that every child in this country is disrespectful. Still, it is becoming a trend that erodes the structures of family, community and society. I don't see myself as that old. Still, many years ago, when I was going to school on a bus if an older person boarded the bus (or a lady or a pregnant mum), we would be expected to stand up and offer them a seat. Even then, people began to resist that expression of respect and courtesy and would often say, 'Son, sit down; you are causing a fuss'. Recently, on the Underground in London, I noted the courtesy of a couple of young Asian men who gave up their seats for ladies - I was impressed.

Who reminds you of Jesus?

The following anecdotal stories came to my attention many years ago. They remind me of the immense need in the world for people to know they are loved. The New Testament scriptures state, 'But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,' Romans 5:8. 

What are the 3 most commonly told stories in the world?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

When the film 'Titanic' was first premiered, millions of filmgoers watched in awe as “Titanic” disappeared beneath the waves. The film had a huge global audience; many people attended six or seven times, according to newspaper reports. A cartoon strip had a mom saying to her family: “I am going, uh, shopping. I will be back in about four hours, maybe.” The family exchanges knowing glances: “Titanic—again.”

Historians and statisticians report that the three most commonly told stories in the world are:- 

1. The life and death of Jesus Christ 

2. The American Civil War and 

3. The sinking of the Titanic. 

Especially with the first and third stories, one element has captured the world: the possibility that a person who goes down with the ship into the icy Atlantic and drowns—can someday live again. People wanted to believe that the ill-fated lovers, Jack and Rose, could actually be united again on the grand staircase of Titanic. That heroic dads who put their wives and children into lifeboats and then perished might someday experience the Bible’s promise of a Resurrection Morning.

Is what the Bible says about resurrection true? Did a dead person named Jesus come out of the tomb on that first Easter ‪Sunday morning‬? Or did His disciples steal the body, hide it, dry their tears, and then concoct this tall tale to beat all tall tales?  It is not just the fate of “Jack and Rose” which rests on Bible truth. All of us are intimately affected by what we read in the Bible of the possibility of us ever living again, it rests entirely and completely on the doctrine of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.‬

The Bible tells us that:- “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised and if Christ has not been raised, your preaching is useless and so is your faith. . . . For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for THIS LIFE we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

If we reject the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection or begin to doubt that He really did come out of that tomb, then we immediately have to also embrace—or at least wince and acknowledge—the reality that when we sink into our own "Atlantic Ocean" and close our eyes in death, that it is all over for us  . . . forever!

Do we want chocolate eggs and bunnies or the plain Word of God? Do we want Jesus the wandering poet or Christ the Risen Lord? Do we want our end to be when a ship goes down or the lights go out . . . or do we look forward to a wonderful and everlasting life in God’s eternal kingdom made possible by Jesus Christ breaking through the walls of that garden tomb?

"I AM the Resurrection and the Life", Jesus promises. Do we believe Him today? "He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die."

There in the ground, his body lay

Light of the world, by darkness, slain

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave, he rose again

And as he stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am his and he is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

Written by Peter Francis for Messages with Meaning (‪06/04/21‬)‬/Your542Day

Discover the love of God this Christmas

Used by permission of Unsplash 

Many years ago there was a young German girl whose father was a printer. He was printing the German Bible that had just been translated by Martin Luther. One day his young daughter found a scrap of paper that had fallen to the floor in the cutting room. The paper contained words from John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave…” but the rest of the verse was missing. She was intrigued by this statement. She read it to herself over and over, “God so loved the world that He gave, God so loved the world that He gave.” 

She liked it so much that she kept it close to her heart and read it every day. She was raised to know that God was just, and Holy, that He hates sin and is angry with the sinner, but she had never read that God loved her so much that He gave…although she did not know what exactly He had given. This revelation brought such joy to her heart that she was singing, and her mother noticing the happy little girl asked, “What is the matter with you?” “Oh mother it is wonderful,” she said, pulling out the little sliver of paper. “Read what it says…‘God so loved the world that He gave.’” “Gave what?” her mother asked. “I do not know, but if He loved me enough that He gave anything at all, I will never be afraid of Him again.”

It is John in his Gospel who says that "God so loved the world that He gave...." But what was His gift? A diamond? A kingdom? A planet? A universe? No! It is so much more! Something priceless and beyond imagination. He gave His Son. And not one of many, but the Only One  that He had. 

Each year we are reminded that Christmas should not be just about giving and receiving presents. But, if we truly think about Christmas, it is, indeed, all about gift giving! At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift ever given, by the greatest gift-giver of all, our wonderful God and Father! This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift - the Christ."

Used by permission of Your542Day - Written by Peter Francis for Messages with Meaning (10/12/20)

What is love?

Different people have very different ideas about what love is. Some people would describe it as a romantic idea of a feeling that they might have towards another, others would think of the almost unbreakable bond with a brother or sister, whereas some would think of the sacrificial love of a mother or father for their children.

Love can be a fleeting thing or last a lifetime. Love is shown in very different ways also. For some it is an extravagant gift, for others it is shown through a handmade gift. It can be demonstrated through loyalty or a demonstrable statement, it can be quietly providing or always there to listen in a time of need.

Some people make the great mistake of thinking that they show love by letting their loved ones get away with things. This never works, many people are selfish and if they get away with something, they will often repeat their misdemeanour, this often causes further hurt. 

Some parents think that overlooking their child’s faults is loving, however this just creates spoilt children, who if uncorrected, will carry many of these faults into adulthood. 

We need to consider our behaviours. In Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12 we are told that, ‘There is a way that seems right to a man’. So, we may well have a notion that we can behave as we see fit yet be bringing harm to ourselves and to others. We need to be warned about it. God does this in the second part of that verse, ‘but its end is the way of death!’ That is a stark warning. God is warning us, because Heloves us, it might be 

tough love, but heeding the warning may well save us from eternal death. 

God has shown His love to us in other ways too, in fact, in Romans chapter 5 verse 8 tells us how He has demonstrated His most amazing love, it tells us, ‘Christ died for us!’ To die to save someone is a huge display of love and this is the perfect Son of God dying for us! The rest of the verse says that He died, ‘While we were still sinners!’ It would have been amazing if He had died for those that were attempting to live perfect lives, or those that had turned over new leaves, but He died for us while we were still sinning. Our sin offends God, He hates it, and even if we tried to be sinless, we would fail as we all sin. He still loved us and Christ died to save us. 

1 John chapter 4 verse 10 tells us what love is, but it is not our love for God. We should love God more, for He supplies us with so many blessings, some that we do not even realise, some we just take for granted. The verse expresses what love actually is, it is that He loved us. When I consider why God loved me, I really struggle to understand. What is loveable about me a sinner who offends God time and time again?

There is nothing that a righteous, holy God could love. Naturally I would go my own way and ignore God’s way, I would wonder away like a straying sheep! So why does God love me and love you with this immense, indescribable, extreme love? The answer has to be that He loves me because He chose to love me!

I have responded to the love of God and the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ to die for me, by trusting in His Son and turning from my sin to Him. I love Him because He first loved me. How do you respond to His great unconditional love?

DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (09/10/24)

Written by STUART SCAMMELL 

All photos courtesy of Unsplash or personally taken

Hate and it"s consequences

 

You don’t wonder at the deep shock and sadness, even outrage and horror, that gripped our nation when the awful riots and destruction took place, which affected many parts of our country recently. The attack and cruel murder of little girls in Southport caused bitter grief and many tears to those who were affected and to many of us, far and near, who felt the tragedy of it. How unbelievable it is that such grief was overtaken by rioting and senseless destruction fuelled by misinformation and lies spread by peddlers of hate.

 

Wider society had to pay a high price for the wickedness of others. Controlling it and then cleaning up the mess used resources that could have benefitted the society that is still suffering in many places.

 

Hatred is volatile and unpredictable. You have probably seen it yourself. It can lead to so much damage and loss. Love is the opposite. Hatred wants to hurt and destroy. Love wants to protect and give unselfishly, not to be confused with lust, which selfishly wants to seize and get.

 

The Bible tells us that God is love—that is His very nature. But God hates certain things because of the harm they do. For example, in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 6, we are told of seven things the Lord hates, the last of which is “sowing discord among others.” It's sad to say that we’ve just seen that in action.

 

We know that a God of love must hate evil. He hates the wrong things we do and our sins but still loves us deeply. In fact, He loves us all so much that He gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins on a cruel cross so that we might be forgiven and saved forever from their consequences. By putting your faith in Him, you can receive the gift of salvation He offers you now.

Written by a guest blogger

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Showing love in Haiti

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

The country of Haiti occupies the western half of the island of Hispaniola.  The eastern part is the Dominican Republic.  Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere and has been traumatised by many unfortunate events.  For decades it was ruled by draconian autocrats who employed henchmen to enforce their rules and dominate the people.  More lately the country has developed an electoral system but corruption is endemic and instability is very much the order of the day.

In addition the country has experienced several severe natural disasters which have devastated large parts of the towns and cities. In August 2021 there was a terrible earthquake measuring 7.2 in magnitude that claimed the lives of 2,200 people.  In December 2021 a petrol tanker in attempting to avoid hitting a motorcycle crashed in Cap-Hatien and exploded.  The fireball it unleashed swept through nearby houses and businesses and over 90 people were killed.  As well as natural events there is the ever present danger of death and kidnap by evil people.  Gangs control many areas and significant numbers of people have been kidnapped, including Western personnel.  This has become a means of securing finance and has made Haiti the kidnap capital of the Caribbean.

The political and economic instability was highlighted when the elected President was assassinated.  The forces of law and order are fully stretched and can achieve very little, especially as many are corrupt and work hand in glove with the gangs. 

Forgiveness - how far does it reach?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

One day Jesus told a story comparing the kingdom of heaven to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants by calling in all his debts.  As he began the settlement, a man who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to Him. In those days that was a considerable chunk of money, the equivalent of about £20 million. We’re not sure exactly how he ran up this kind of debt but it’s clear that he would never be able to repay the king.  So since he couldn’t pay the debt, the king ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had, had to be sold to repay the debt.” The king knew he could never recoup all his losses - he just wanted to get back whatever he could.

At this point, the servant did what most of us would have done. He fell on his knees and said, “Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything.” Even though he could never pay it back, he is now desperate. He cannot stand the thought of his family being sold because of the debt he ran up.  The king was moved. The Bible says that he was filled with compassion. And, he does something the man does not even ask for. The king not only releases him, he also forgives the debt. This is at great personal cost to the king. By assuming the debt, he allowed it to go unpaid and thus impoverished his treasury. He wiped the slate clean, erased the books, and cancelled the debt. Now the man owed him nothing.   

This is exactly what forgiveness is all about. To forgive is to cancel the debt. When we’ve wronged someone, and they choose to forgive us, they are in essence saying, “I cancel the debt. The slate has been wiped clean. You do not owe me anything - I release you from ever having to pay me back.” Now it is quite clear that the servant did not deserve this forgiveness; it was purely an act of grace and mercy on the part of the king. 

We are a lot like the man in the story that Jesus told. We stand before a holy God with our sins piled up higher than Mount Everest.  Our sins are like a £20 million debt that we can never repay. And yet, out of compassion for our moral predicament, and motivated by His love and grace, God sent His Son Jesus to pay off our spiritual debts.

We all need Divine forgiveness today.  We need to come face to face with God, own our sin, and then asked Him for release? We need to do it, if we have not already done so - forgiveness is our deepest need and God’s highest achievement. Admitting our sins to a holy God is the way to receive His forgiveness? If we have not done so, now is the right time. The cost of our sins is more than we can pay, but the gift of our God is more than we can imagine. 

Repentance is the key to being forgiven.  In the Bible book of Proverbs we learn that “he that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." If we can confess it, we  can be forgiven of it! It does not matter what we have done, if we turn to God and confess our sins, He will forgive us of ALL unrighteousness... that includes anything we have done, that we are willing to bring before Him! So remember today, "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."

Produced by Messages with Meaning and published by 542day - with permission

Does God care? Yes, God has time for you.

Does God Care?

This time of the year can be a lonely time for many people! Everyone has their family, or do they? There are a lot of people about who are very private and keep themselves to themselves. They would not trouble anyone with their problems and would not presume that anyone else is interested.

I have news for anyone who is reading this who thinks like that. I know someone who is interested in you; the Lord Jesus. He is recorded as saying in the Gospel of John – ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly‘.

What if God really does care?

Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash

Photo by L N on Unsplash

DOES GOD CARE?

Do you ever wonder why a God of love could allow all the tragedies that occur in the world? Does it anger you that so many people seem to suffer for no apparent reason?

 

What does true love look like?

Love is a wonderful aspect of human life. Someone once wrote that ‘love makes the world go round’ and the Beatles insisted that ‘all we need is love’. There are many kinds of love and they reveal the caring side of human nature. The love between spouses is close and intimate, the love between parents and children is very special and the love and care which friends show towards each other is to be treasured. Indeed the Bible says that ‘if I have no love, this does me no good’ and the greatest love was shown by God.

One person who cares for you!

This time of the year can be a lonely time for many people! Everyone has their family, or do they? There are a lot of people about who are very private and keep themselves to themselves. They would not trouble anyone with their problems and would not presume that anyone else is interested. 

I have news for anyone who is reading this who thinks like that. I know someone who is interested in you; his name is the Lord Jesus. He is recorded as saying in the Gospel of John - 'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly'. The Bible also states that God 'is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance'.

The Lord Jesus is personally interested in each one of us. For no other reason than He wants the best for you. If you doubt that then read one of the four Gospels in the New Testament part of the Bible. The record about Jesus says that 'He went about doing good'. For three years for He dispensed the blessing and forgiveness of God to the people He met. He healed them both physically and spiritually. By doing this He was proving that God is interested. That God is caring! That God has time for you! Even His amazing miracles demonstrate that God cares. The one who can heal the body can save the soul!

You can quietly come to Him, by praying to Him, wherever you are. We have all sinned against God and need His forgiveness. When we agree with God that we have disobeyed His commandments and ask for His forgiveness then He will save us.

Why and how you may ask?

Why - because we are in danger. God is just and must judge wrong. Your sin has consequences because breaking God's law is damaging. Just as fire burns so sin hurts and has ongoing consequences. This is why we need God to intervene.

God can save us from future punishment in Hell because His Son, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Bible says 'Christ died for the ungodly'. He died for you, and I, and can forgive us because He took the punishment for sin. The fact that Jesus is sinless and perfect means that He qualified to pay the price on our behalf.

When you believe you will receive salvation - why not believe today. It works - He saved me and has been with me for fifty years now.

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

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

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.

Love is of God - 1 John 4:10-21

1 John 4King James Version (KJV)

4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

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.

Jesus - Liar, Lunatic or Lord?

Can I say first that the Lord Jesus was most humble and unassuming!

You will search in vain to find any proud, arrogant, assertive statements about himself. 

BUT you will never find a denial about who He is. 

All of this is a fulfilment of another bible prophecy - Isaiah 42:2 "He shall not cry, nor lift up, not cause His voice to be heard in the street". 

Note when He had carried out a miracle he often instructed the person not to go and broadcast what had been done, see Mark 7:36 "And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more He charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it".

THE LORD JESUS LEFT ANY RECOGNITION AND ACCLAIM TO BE GIVEN BY HIS FATHER, GOD, MEN AND WOMEN WHO RECOGNISED HIM FOR WHO HE IS - HAVE YOU?

God spoke from heaven - "this is my beloved Son/Thou art my beloved Son as recorded in Matt 3:17, Matt 17:5, Mark 1:1, Luke 3:22, 2 Peter 1:17

Men said - Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God - Matthew 16:16

Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel - John 1:49

I perceive that thou art a prophet - John 4:19

Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ - John 4:29

This is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world - John 4:42

You have to decide who you think Jesus is? This is not an option! Either you decide in life and come to know Him as your Lord and Saviour or you leave it or ignore it and find out that He is the Son of God when it is too late to accept him as your Saviour. 

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

1914 - 1918 War - Love!

In the city of Melbourne, Australia, there is a very impressive shrine in memory of those from the state of Victoria who gave their lives for their country in times of war. The shrine was built between July 1928 and November 1934 in memory of the thousands from Victoria who served and died in the 1914 -1918 war. It has been a growing monument with other memorials added to the site as Australian soldiers fought in various campaigns. Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the forecourt in 1954 to those who served in the 1939 - 1945 war. There is a prominent inscription that declares, "Let all men know that this is holy ground". This is recognition that there is something very special about those who died on behalf of others.

One of the most interesting features is a plaque inside the main building that bears the words "Greater love hath no man". This is a partial quotation of John 15.13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". A ray of light is directed onto the word ‘love’ at 11.00 am on the 11th of the 11th month marking the hour and day of the armistice that formally ended the second World War. How good to reflect with sincere thanks on the sacrifice of so many that led to the war being over.

To ponder the greatness of love we must really turn away from all that is of man and that may be sentimental, and think of the love of God. As quoted above, these men died for their friends and fellowcitizens, but the contrast with Divine love is immense. "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" Romans 5.7,8,10. The enmity between God and us was caused by sin. James plainly declares that we can test whether or not we are enemies of God, "know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" James 4.4. If our ambition is wholly for this world; its pleasures, pursuits, power, prestige and popularity, then we are constituted enemies of God. Again Paul wrote, "the carnal mind is enmity against God" Romans 8.7. Thus we are enemies by what we are, what we do and how we think.

Despite this, God loved us and gave His Son to die for us. "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" John 3.16.

No man of greater love can boast

Than for his friend to die;

Thou for Thine enemies wast slain:

What love with Thine can vie?

               ... (J Stennett)

This love wrought salvation, leaving the basis for sinners to be reconciled to God, because it was done perfectly and forever. Prior to dismissing His spirit and entering into death, the Lord Jesus Christ said, "It is finished" John 19.30, and the work was completely done. It needs no addition or repetition and certainly there is nothing we can do to assist in the matter. Salvation is offered freely to all mankind and the enemy who accepts Him by faith and rests totally upon Him, that person will be reconciled and rather than being an enemy of God, will be His friend. It is obvious which relationship is best!

Used by permission of Assembly Testimony Magazine

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

The Solution to Despair!

There are a lot of people about who are very private and keep themselves to themselves. They would not trouble anyone with their problems and would not presume that anyone else is interested. Well I have news for anyone who is reading this who thinks like that. I know someone who is interested in you; his name is the Lord Jesus. He is recorded as saying in the Gospel of John - 'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly'. The Bible also states that God 'is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance'.

The Bible is packed full of statements expressing God's love for the individual - For God so loved the world, Come unto me all who are weary.... The genuine nature of God's love is that it is backed with action. The breath you breath, the sun that shines, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are all proof of that.

The ultimate proof is that the Lord Jesus is interested in our lives as individuals. If you doubt that then read one of the four Gospels in the New Testament part of the Bible. The record says about Jesus that 'he went about doing good'. He spend his energy for three years bringing the blessing and forgiveness of God to the people he met. He healed them both physically and spiritually. By doing this he was proving that the God who can heal the body can save the soul. And by the way all of the works, blessings and miracles of Jesus were to individuals. He is interested in you!

You can come to him, quietly, where you are, by praying to him. We have all sinned against God and need his forgiveness. When we agree with God that we have disobeyed his commandments and ask for his forgiveness then He will save us.

Why and how you may ask? He can save us from his future punishment in Hell because his Son, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Bible says 'Christ died for the ungodly'. He died for you and I and can forgive us because he took the punishment for sin.

When you believe you will receive salvation - why not believe today? It works - he saved me and has been with me for nearly fifty years now.

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Who loves ya, baby!

So another Valentine's Day has come and gone!

Did you get a valentine? Does anybody love you? Do you care!

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and the United States. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

It is nice to tell loved ones that you love them but actually that's something you should be doing every day. Love and marriage is not just for one day when you get all romantic but about living in the cut and thrust of life and surviving the ups and downs of the difficulties that life throws at you. 

Maybe, we men, need to learn to be more thoughtful, to say I love you, to buy a little thing that really matters regularly and to express our love on a day by day basis. 

I get a prime example of love when I look at the Lord Jesus Christ and what he did for me. The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 about the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is, "the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me". That man really understood what it meant to be loved. He knew that God loved him despite his past. He realised that God sent His Son to be a sacrifice for his sins. 

Sacrificial behaviour is often the truest evidence of love. Depriving yourself to provide for your loved one takes love to a deeper level. We often see this with mothers and children and grandparents and their grandchildren. This type of love is selfless, caring and focused on the needs of the person you love. 

That is the type of love that this blog is consistently talking about. One of the verses that clearly teaches this is found in the new Testament and in John chapter 3 verse 16 where it says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life". 

I know you will probably not agree with me but I believe that this is the ultimate example of love. All the previous examples I have given you of parents and grandparents while tremendous and heartwarming only relate to this life. What Jesus did for you when he died on the cross was to pay the eternal price to save your soul. It cost him his life and he gave it so that you might have eternal life (both in terms of quality now and quantity in the next life). 

By the way, Jesus came back from the dead three days after he died. This was evidence that his sacrifice had been accepted by God in heaven. 

My question to you is will the love of God (the Father) and His Son (Jesus) be unrequited. Will you ignore the sacrifice that was made to save your soul. Or will you confess your need of salvation and trust him?

I close with one more quotation from the Bible. "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 6:23. 

The choice lies with you! It is up to you to receive and believe or reject God's offer of salvation and face the consequence of that rejection - an eternity separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. 

Put bluntly the choice is HEAVEN or HELL!

O please make the wise choice!