World Events

World events rush upon us and often take us by surprise. As a Christian I believe that everything is moving towards end times and that events described in the Bible will come to pass eventually. It was thousands of years between the initial promises of a Saviour (Genesis 3:15) and the coming of Jesus of Nazareth but this plus the fulfilment of other prophecies (see Daniel 2 and 7 for an example) give me the confidence that God's word will always be seen to be authentic in the end and will always be fulfilled.

I do not know (not being a prophet) how this emerging conflict between Israel and Iran will turn out and I do not necessarily agree with everything they have done in the last few years. I do, however, see that things are gathering pace and Biblical prophecy is nearing fulfilment.

In light of current world events we all need to be aware that time for all of us is running out. Time is a limited commodity not just in terms of what we can do in any 24 period but in terms of our life span. This means we need to take a relationship with God (or the lack of it) seriously.

Let me leave a few verses from the Bible with you that emphasis the urgency of getting your sins forgiven and being right with God before your life in this world ends.

 for He says,

“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,

AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.”

Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”

2 Corinthians 6.2

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Romans 13.11,12

While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

1 Thess 5.3-8 (this is written to and about Christians)

Please, please, think seriously about you spiritual condition and your need of salvation. This is biggest issue that you will ever consider.

Visit my website www.seekthetruth.org.uk for more information.

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

How to handle fear

 

Photos courtesy of Unsplash

In the last month, we have witnessed the coronation of King Charles the 3rd and the ongoing devastation taking place in Ukraine. In addition, the aggressive acts of violence between Israeli and Palestinian forces continue. Shootings and violent crime are a regular part of life in the UK, and in the USA, mass shootings have become the norm, with over 200 in 2023 to date. These events, plus so many more, have a devastating effect on people's lives. People's hearts are failing them for fear, as the 'old book' says, Luke 21. 26.

I often speak to older people. They tell me that they are frightened after they've watched the news. They're anxious. They're worried about what's happening in the world. How do the events that you watch on the news or hear about in your town or neighbourhood affect you? Life can be traumatising and frightening, and many people don't know how to handle or deal with fear and the problems they face.

Some fear is generated because of uncertainty; sometimes, it's because we're out of control, and often it's the pace at which things happen. The other reaction is to be blasé, stick your head in the sand and pretend that nothing is going on. These reactions are not confined to world events - this is how we often respond to events in our lives. It might be in respect of your health, your finances or a relationship. Sometimes we convince ourselves that things will never happen or nothing will ever get worse, but then the reality hits us, and what we dreaded is happening.

20% of people in the UK admit to loneliness!

I discovered recently that ‘1 A national commission investigating loneliness in the UK in January 2017 showed that a fifth of the population privately admits they are "always or often lonely”’.

Herbert Van Zeller, 1905-1984, once wrote ‘the soul hardly ever realises it, but whether he is believer or not, his loneliness is really a homesickness for God’. That’s quite a statement. Loneliness is deeper than a lack of company and it affects people in all stages of life.

One Event - Two reactions

 

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

One Event - Two reactions

 

I have no doubt that we are all concerned about the events of the past week. What will be the outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? How can one man act without due regard for the opinion of the Ukrainian people? But, if you are a Russian citizen you may well have a completely different reaction to these events. One event can often produce two reactions.

In April 2018, on the anniversary of the recommencement of the State of Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported that ‘While Israeli Jews mark Independence Day with fireworks and barbecues, the flags that sprout everywhere in Jewish areas will be absent from Arab towns, and the thoughts of many there will turn to what they term the “Nakba” (catastrophe) that they associate with Israel’s birth. 

The same date and occasion produced two different reactions from two diverse groups of people - gladness or grief, delight or dread, pleasure, or pain.

Access Denied - when your computer locks you out!

A friend of mine recently bought a new computer. He, like me, was not very computer literate. Having set up the various programs and their passwords he sought to type his first message. Diligently following the on-screen instructions he was asked for the password, which he carefully typed in. Disaster! A message flashed across the screen "Access Denied". He tried again with the same result. He contacted me for advice. All I could do was ask him if he was sure that he used the correct password. He was adamant that he had. He had done nothing wrong, was sure that all was correct but something was wrong.

How to deal with the fear the unknown!

The fear of the unknown!

Most of us are frightened of the unknown. Maybe you wouldn't used the word frightened but most of us prefer to be sure about what is going on, what is coming next or what to expect in any given situation. 

A friend of mine was asked to come to a clinic in a local hospital to have his eyes checked. His doctor was a bit unsure about his pheriferal vision and wanted it be to be checked out. This referral generated anxiety and stress. I understand exactly how my friend felt as my mother has macular degeneration and finds it very debilitating. 

Fear is a very real emotion. Sometimes our fears are imagined nevertheless the feeling of fear is very real. Other times our fears are justified and we take precautions or prepare ourselves mentally for the worst. There are also times when we are not aware of danger, we have no idea what is going on and so we are blissfully ignorant of what we are facing. It's this last type of fear I want to talk to you about. 

The danger we are unaware of!!

Most people in the 21st century live for the moment. They ignore the bigger issues of life after death, our responsibility for our life choices and day to day decisions and the existence of an almighty God to whom we are answerable. 

Are you aware that we are accountable for every action, every thought, every word, every motive, and every belief we hold? Our maker, God, is the ultimate judge. The Bible describes Him as the Judge of all the earth. Please be assured of this; He will be absolutely fair and just in all the assessments and decisions He makes. Genesis 18:25 states 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just'. 

The standard that God judges us against is written in black and white in the Bible. One day God called Moses up Mount Sinai. Over a period of forty days He wrote His law so that Moses could teach his people the standards by which God operates. Until then humanity only had their conscience to judge right and wrong. From that date it was written down! No excuses! When Moses came down from his meeting with the Almighty God he presented the people with a book, the Book of the Law. Since that day the human race has been aware of God's law.

The problem is that we all struggle to live by God's law. We know that it is good. I mean most of us would agree that the principles of loving your neighbour as yourself, not stealing, not lying, no swearing, no sexual sin are all very good for us as individuals and as a society. But if we are honest we all struggle to live up to these standards.

You see God didn't give us His law to make us feel good about ourselves but to prove us guilty. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Compared to God's law the whole world stands guilty. This is what I mean when I say that we are in danger but we are unaware of it!

I am not writing this blog post just to make you aware that you are a sinner and come short of God's standard. My real purpose is to make you are aware of the danger and then to point you to the solution, the salvation that God has provided in His Son, Jesus Christ. 

As I close here a couple of verses from the Bible that should help. If you are really interested in avoiding the danger of God's judgment then please read and think about these verses (and have a read of some of my previous blog posts as well).

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish it have everlasting life - John 3:16

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - 1 Timothy 1:15

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved - Romans 10:9. 

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.