Are you affected by the weather?

What was the first thing you noticed this morning when you got up? Maybe I should reword that. I am not thinking about your beautiful spouse or children. My question really is – did you notice if it was sunny or rainy? Did the weather annoy you or concern you?

Passed By

Some summers are really a bit of a non-event. I’ll not go into the precise statistics but it seems that often summers come and go with little evidence that we actually had one.

Life is like that for a lot of us. Some people feel that it has passed them by. The dreams of yesterday never quite became the reality of today. The wish list remained just that – a wish list. If only.  Life need not be like that. I believe that God’s desire for humanity is to lift our gaze from the mundane things of life and to give us hope; but more of that in a moment.

Quit worrying

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Have you ever wondered how people could look at the same thing but see something totally different? Why do weather forecasters tell us there’s a 30% chance of rain tomorrow? Why don’t they just say a 70% chance of radiant sunshine?

In Bible times, twelve influential men were selected to conduct an analysis of the new country to be inhabited by their nation. They were assigned the task of looking at the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats of the land. A lot was at stake. This new land had been their dream land for quite a while. A million people had been promised a better life in a better land. They were in transition, having left their life-long homes in hope of striking it rich in a new homeland. Just now they were camping in a wilderness – not really the type of a place we would want to call home. The new land was still a dream for them.

So, the Leadership Team of Twelve set out on their mission. It did not take long for some conclusions to emerge regarding the possibilities and threats. However, they could not reach agreement on their findings and a majority report had to be delivered – not an unanimous one! The majority saw only doom and gloom in the new land. The minority report filed by Caleb and Joshua was upbeat and positive with a recommendation for immediate action.

Are you satisfied?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Within the heart of every human being there is a strong desire for something that seems so elusive - true and lasting satisfaction. Satisfaction is rarely found because anything that we enjoy only lasts for a limited period of time. This covers almost all of the things we enjoy whether it is a delicious meal, a holiday away or good times with friends and family, there is a degree of truth in the saying, “all good things must come to an end.” 

 

The Bible seems to back this up, it tells of a man called Moses, a godly man who initially lived in Ancient Egypt who ultimately led the Children of Israel out of slavery. The New Testament records in Hebrews 11:25 that he “choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” The Bible says that the things that we enjoy on earth, whether they are good things or sinful things, they only last for a season. King Solomon, probably the richest man of his time understood this too, he said in Ecclesiastes 1:8: “The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear has its fill of hearing”. That is to say, we never have enough stimulus to keep our natural senses interested. The Lord Jesus said that it was a foolish thing to try and find satisfaction in the material things that are round about us, Luke 12:15 says, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things the things which he possesses.” 

 

When we come to John 4 however, we read a fascinating conversation between the Lord Jesus and a woman of Samaria. The Lord Jesus reveals in v18 that this woman had tried to find satisfaction and purpose in earthly relationships, the evidence indicating that her efforts had failed by the fact she had had five husbands and she was now onto her sixth! The Lord Jesus then reveals why she wasn’t satisfied, she was not a true worshipper of God. She had tried to source her satisfaction and purpose in creation rather than in the Creator. The Lord Jesus says to the person who sources their purpose in God, “I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly”. There is no other source of true and lasting satisfaction than becoming a worshipper of the true God. Turn from those fleeting sins and place your faith in the Lord Jesus and become a worshipper of the one, true God today.

Why do we refuse to listen?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Some people love talking, sometimes they have something that they are desperate to tell you and actually it is not very interesting at all!

However, some news is really worth telling and can be exciting or even life-changing to hear.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples to go from town to town preaching the Gospel, the Good News, of the Kingdom of God. He told them not to worry about what they would need, or what they should take but that He would provide for them. The disciples went through the towns and cities preaching the message that they had been given and displaying the power of God.

Why do we die?

The Bible states that 'it is appointed unto men once to die'. This most obvious of facts is among the most distressing things that we human beings face. I have a friend who committed suicide just before Christmas about ten years ago - why I can guess but I do not really know. Shortly after that one of my contacts in Liverpool found that her partner's nephew has been found dead in his flat. 

Death comes to us all but why?

The Bible tells us why. It is because of sin. 

The Bible states that we die because we were born into a fallen race. The first man, Adam, brought 'sin into the world and death by sin'. 

We also are all in the habit of sinning and the Bible states 'sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death'. We all sin, fail, hurt, lie, disobey etc, and therefore the moral and physical result is death.

But Jesus said 'I am come that they might have life'. 

How can that be true? We all still die! That is true physically but when a person comes to Jesus, by confessing our sin and asks him for forgiveness, they receive eternal life. The Bible says 'He that hath the Son hath life'. God promises in his word, The Bible, that 'he that cometh to me I will no wise cast out'. The Lord Jesus said 'come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest'.

This is actually only possible because 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'. The Bible puts it like this 'The Father (God) sent the Son (Jesus) to be the Saviour of the world'.

Amazing! God intervened to solve the human tragedy of death but His only course of action legally was for someone else to die in my place. The only person who qualified was Jesus. His death was voluntary because death had no claim on him, He could not sin, and did not, which is why death had no claim on him. The Lord Jesus willingly died to save me from eternal death in Hell and the Lake of Fire.

What about you will trust the one who can deliver from the 'fear of death'?

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

Do you like to be proved wrong?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Most of us like to be right, and not many of us like to be told that we are wrong, even if we are!

Only one person has ever lived who was perfect, and unable to do anything wrong — Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us plainly that ‘all have sinned’, yet we also read about some that became known as ‘righteous’. How can this be?

Today, we are thinking about Abel, the second man to be born. We inherit some things from our parents and there is one thing in particular that Abel and his older brother Cain inherited from their father that we have to mention. They did things wrong, and did not need to be taught how to do them — it just happened. This is because they got it from their father, Adam, who himself did something that God told him not to do. Eating the fruit that his wife, Eve, gave him might not have seemed very serious, but it broke his, and by inheritance, our relationship with God.

W-H-Y?

Just three letters: W-H-Y. 

Why? 

Why so much pain? 

Why so much wickedness? 

Why do people suffer?.. 

Why?Why,?Why? 

Have you ever wrestled with this question? Perhaps you've lost a loved one, or maybe you know of some innocent person who has suffered terribly. And just wondered.. Why?

Well, God's Word, the Bible gives the answer. What brought suffering and pain? Yes, it is the result of man's original sin in the Garden of Eden. '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,' Romans 5:12, the Bible. But perhaps you wonder, why did God allow sin to continue? Couldn't He have stopped it at once and destroyed the sinners? 

Why did Jesus die?

WHY DID JESUS DIE?

This question is of vital importance because your eternal destiny depends upon your answer to it. Do you know why Jesus died? If not, this article will tell you.

SIN BRINGS DEATH

In God’s Word, the Bible, we learn that death came into the world because of sin. "Wherefore … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned," Romans 5. 12. "The wages of sin is death," Romans 6. 23. You and I die because we are sinners: "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," Romans 3. 23.