No Satnav for Heaven

Tuesday lunch club at St Mary’s church today was busy, poor Margaret was having to cope with only two staff, so some of the diners mucked in and gave a hand and everyone had a lovely hot dinner.

Brian and Pat took the little service afterward, we sang a few hymns and then had a Who wants to be a Millionaire quiz, it was based on the TV show needless to say we did very well but blew it on the £64.000 question. Afterwards he read out a poem from a magazine which went as follows:

I have a little Satnav, it sits there in my car

A satnav is a driver's friend, it tells you where you are.

I have a little satnav, I've had it all my life

It’s better than the normal ones, my satnav is my wife.

It gives me full instructions, especially how to drive.

"It's thirty miles an hour", it says, "you're doing thirty five."

It tells me when to stop and start and when to use the brake

And tells me that it's never ever safe to overtake.

It tells me when a light is red and when it goes to green

It seems to know instinctively just when to intervene.

It lists the vehicles just in front and all those to the rear

And taking this into account, it specifies my gear.

I'm sure no other driver has so helpful a device,

For when we leave and lock the car it still gives its advice.

It fills me up with counselling, each journey's pretty fraught.

So why don't I exchange it and get a quieter sort?

Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, makes sure I'm properly fed,

It washes all my shirts and things and keeps me warm in bed!

Despite all these advantages and my tendency to scoff,

I do wish that, once in a while, I could turn this Satnav off.

I think quite a few of the gentlemen could relate to this J

Brian explained though that Jesus is the only way, we can’t trust in anything or anyone else to save us and give us eternal life it is only through Jesus. He is the only way we can be forgiven by God for our sins, He alone can give us freedom, light and life.

£64,000 can’t buy you forgiveness, joy, peace and eternal life, all the books on self-help can’t give you forgiveness, joy and peace, if you truly want help then Jesus is the only way, in Him you will have forgiveness of sin, joy, peace and eternal life, now that’s real treasure.

Jesus said 

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

No one comes to the Father except through me".

John 14:6

Pass it On

We had a wonderful afternoon at the Salvation Army on Tuesday, I had asked the ladies to bring something to do with war which they duly did, Pat brought a kit-bag, Julie brought trench art it which was a shell made into a coal scuttle, and photographs and Dori brought a soldiers housewife sewing kit which was a pouch contained all that a soldier would require to carry out any repairs to his clothing when necessary. Inside it would contain a thimble, two balls of grey darning wool (for socks), 50 yards of linen thread wound around card, needles, brass dish buttons (for Battledress) and plastic buttons for shirts. The Housewife was often contained within the Holdall and stowed within the man's haversack. I took my father’s cap badge,

We had a quiz they had to say what the rest of the words would be on a poster, ie Make do............ and mend. I had managed to find a couple they had not heard of. Then we played name that tune, I sung a few notes and they had to guess the song from World War 2, they did very well and most of them we sang all the way through, it was lovely. 

It was great how everyone knew the words for most of them would have been young during the war, although we have one lady who has lived through both wars, and some of us were born after the war and yet we too knew the words. They are passed on from generation to generation, as is all the news of the wars, the why and the wherefore and all the great things that happened. We have photographs, written documents, book, discs etc, so there is no need for anyone really not to know about it but there will still be some who don’t.

I thought about this after and how important it is as Christians to pass it on and not leave people wondering what it’s all about. The Bible tells us that we should not be ashamed of the gospel and that we should be able to tell people the reason for the hope that we have,

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Do you know why you have this hope? Not a hope that is uncertain, not a hope that everything will turn out alright in the end. But a sure and steadfast hope in God and His word, in Jesus and all He has done. When we receive Jesus as our Saviour then we have a sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life with Him, how amazing, surely this is worth passing on.

1 Peter 3: ¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:¹⁶ Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

I talked about how during the war everywhere was blacked out so that we could not be seen by the enemy but of course as Christians we are to let our light shine in the darkness so we are in the enemies firing line. Next time we are going to talk about our need for the armour of God, making sure first that we have on the helmet of salvation.