Key Principles for Successful Living

How we live our lives is vitally important. There are principles that guide each one of us. These could be positive or negative guidelines by which we live our lives. If we will live by God’s principles, we can expect to see His favour and blessing.  If we live by what ‘seems good to us’ it can often take us down a path we would later regret. Have you ever considered what are the principles by which you live your life?   The earlier we discover and apply these, the better, but it is never too late to begin!

 

Principle No 1 – You can be forgiven

 

We can and need to receive forgiveness from God. ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ Because Jesus paid for our sins in full; we can know what it means to be forgiven. ‘He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.’ God is willing to remove our sin from us. ‘As far as the east is from the west’, so far is He willing to remove them from us.

 

Why does the Bible say, ‘as far as the East is from the West?’ Why did does it not say as far as the North is from the South? This is one great picture of God’s love. The North and South pole are definite points. You can go to those spots. But there is no East or West pole. When you get there, you can still go further to the East. So, in a very real sense, when God says, ‘as far as the East is from the West’ He means that He has totally and forever removed our sins, they are not coming back to haunt us.

Are Christians hypocrites? - 1 John 3:11-24

The truth is that Christians can be hypocrites but thankfully most are not! Having said that we are all flawed and make mistakes; the word of God says 'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'.  It is the teaching of scripture that Christians should love one another and love their neighbour as themselves - today's passage from the bible states this clearly. It's a hard standard to live up to but God gives help to those who are prepared to trust him.

When people claim that Christians are hypocrites I always ask them to have a good look at the life of Christ. He was no hypocrite! He was, and is, holy, pure and undefiled by sin. That is what qualifies him to be my Saviour!

Christ died for our sins and if you repent (turn from your sin) and trust him he will clear your guilt and give you the strength to live for God's glory and pleasure.

1 John 3:11-24

11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

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.

Tragedy and Disaster

Once again we have become aware of another mining disaster. After the Chilean trapped miners were released we all breathed a sigh of relief. Thirty three men successfully brought to safety!What a glorious day it was for all involved and how we as fellow human beings were relieved to see a potentially sad story become a happy one. We trust that this will be the case for the twenty nine miners trapped in the Pike River Coal Mine in Atarau, New Zealand.

It is the desire of our creator, the Almighty God, that the sad story of human life and death be turned into a happy one. The miners in Chile soon learned the need for God and His presence when confined under ground. Among the scarce necessities that were delivered to them while in isolation was a personal copy of the bible. When faced with death, God and His truth is the only answer.

As I close listen to the truth that God brings to us in His word.

God commends his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

God is not willing that any should perish (as in eternal damnation) but that all should come to repentance (a change of mind regarding sin and God accepting his offer of forgiveness).

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.

My advice would be to take advantage of the offer of salvation today.

Exams, Study, Career, Preparing for Life

I am sure that many of you are so happy that the exams are over and that you can now enjoy the summer and get on with your life. For some however this is just the beginning as they start a job or begin a new phase in their life. My daughter has just started a job in Manchester and is experiencing the thrill of getting up early to get the train and trying to go bed early to cope with the tiredness. Some say 'it's all part of the rich tapestry of life' others being more honest say it's just extremely exhausting.

I read an article in a paper we distribute in our community recently. It was about a young Naval Officer on his first day on the job after a considerable time of training. The prospect of guiding a ship across the Atlantic was very exciting. This was his first opportunity to prove to everyone that he had the ability to handle the ship efficiently. He confidently issued orders and the decks buzzed with men performing their tasks. The ship left it's moorings in record time and quickly cruised toward the open seas.

The young officer is handed a folded piece of paper. What is it he thinks? Was it perhaps a message of congratulations from the captain?

The note was a radio message that read. "You have completed the exercise according to the book and with amazing speed, in your haste, however you overlooked a vital though unwritten rule: "make sure the captain is aboard before getting underway." The note was signed, "your captain".

Like the young officer, many people study hard and prepare for life's journey with great intensity and a desire to do everything to the best of their ability. They often pull away from the "dock" without asking the Captain to come aboard in their lives. By failing to ask God to be in control they are destined for a life of always learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth.