Love Like a Morning Mist

In my daily devotions I have been studying Hosea. I have to admit it is the first time I have really looked at it rather than just reading it. God's heart for His people leapt out of the pages and I was overwhelmed by His love toward Israel and Judah despite all their sin and wickedness. despite the fact that they ignored the prophet, and all the other prophets. God gave them chance after chance to turn to Him with a contrite and repentant heart and submit to His will, but they would not.

As a parent there have been many times when I have had to punish my children for various things, did they listen, did they take heed, not always sometimes it was a long time before they no longer made the same mistakes. Despite my frustration, anger, and hurt did I stop loving them? No, I did not, but when they were grown they made their own choices and did their own thing, some left and moved away but then came back, some moved away and never came back, keeping themselves estranged from me and the rest of the family. I pray that one day there will be reconciliation and restoration of our relationship. God's heart was broken and continues to be so today, He hasn't finished with Israel, He loves Him with an everlasting love and has promised that one day all Israel will be saved. But what about the rest of us, the Gentiles so to speak, God yearns for us also and longs that we should know Him. He gave His Son to take the punishment for our sins that we might be righteous, free, and have a joy and peace that the world knows nothing of. A joy and peace that doesn't depend on how I'm feeling, or on my circumstances, on whether or not I have a job, or am in good health. It is a joy and peace that is rooted in Christ Jesus. We can accept His gift of salvation or we can reject it as Israel in Hosea's time rejected their God, the only true God, the Creator of the world.

When we accept it then we don't abuse it, there is a very wishy washy, sentimental idea of the gospel in some of our churches today, it's alright because God loves me so I know He'll forgive me. We would be absolutely incensed if we heard a husband say of his wife, "It doesn't matter what I do to her because she will always forgive me" and yet this is how people treat God. Our lives are to be lived for Him, and we should allow Him to live through us. We are the heart of God on earth, we are to love the Father, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the lost as Jesus does. We are His eyes here on earth, we are to see and take note of injustice, pain, and heartache, we are His ears, we are to hear the cries of the lost, and the lonely. We are His mouth we are to speak against injustice, we are to speak for truth, the absolute Truth against the lies, and hypocrisy in our churches. We are His feet and hands and we are to go where their is a need and help. We are to do what we can, where we can, when we can in the name of Christ for the glory of God and His kingdom. Our heart should beat in tune with His.

Lawrence O Richards wrote the Daily Devotional Commentary, here is an excerpt on Hosea 6. Love Like a Morning Mist

Some people are hopelessly optimistic. “I know,” they say “I know I did wrong, and God has punished me for it. If I just say, “I am sorry,” everything will be alright, won’t it? That’s a kind of blithe optimism portrayed in verses 1-3. and it makes God shake His head in frustration. These people seem to think that if they come to God and say “please,” the Lord will be so delighted that He’ll fall all over Himself to do them good. But God wasn’t interested in superficial religion then. And He isn’t impressed by it today. God’s judgements were intended to bring about fundamental change in attitude, not a return to church! And so God said, “Your love is like a morning mist,” and I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” What do these two phrases tell us? First, that God isn’t interested in fleeting emotions we may feel toward Him. He wants complete commitment. There’s a vast difference between the “I Love you’s” breathlessly exchanged in the backseat of a car, and the "I do’s” shared at a wedding!

Second, love for God is to be shown not in religious ceremonies but in daily life. Flowers are nice. But real love is better shown by helping with the dishes, changing dirty diapers, and “being there” when support and encouragement are needed. God isn’t satisfied with a bouquet tossed His way on Sunday. He wants us to show our love for him daily by doing His will. And so God seems to shake His head, and in frustration wonder aloud, “What can I do with you, Ephraim?” Despite the testimony of God’s Law and the words of His prophets, Israel's concept of relationship with the Lord still remained shallow. And today we also tend to have a shallow concept of God. God has no use for a “love” that is as fleeting as the morning mist.

"If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbour, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask Him simply to fill you with love, the greatest of all virtues, with it you can accomplish what you desire." Vincent Ferrer.

Love, bears all things

  

Robes of Righteousness

The last two weeks at the Salvation Army home league in Ripley have been most interesting, you can read all about it here: What Will you be Wearing?

The first week we had been invited to a royal garden party and I completely forgot and turned up in my usual garb of jeans and t-shirt. The following week we had a spiritual insight into the week before, what struck me was that everyone else was ready, well prepared and dressed for the occasion that is certainly a good thing to be in the spiritual as well as the natural. Had this been the real thing and I had turned up dressed as I was to meet the Queen I never would have got through the first gate.

It reminded me of how we are to be prepared, ready and dressed in the right apparel for the Lord’s return or for when He calls us home. Pamela reminded us that we must be clothed in the righteousness of Christ and when He comes again for His church each one of us must be so clothed. If you have not repented of your sins, (we are forgiven only through Jesus the Son of God and His death on the cross), then you will certainly not be able to get into heaven and you will certainly not be able to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb.

 Revelation 19: 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints, if we are in Christ then we are saints and it matters how we live, how we act, how we speak etc. If our acts are of this world then our garments will not be clean and they will not be righteous and we shall not be ready. If you want to go to heaven if you want to live for ever with God and the Lord Jesus Christ on the new earth then you must have on the right garments, this is what Jesus says happens when you don’t. 

Matthew 22:1-14 

The Jews at this time had rejected Jesus as their Messiah, they didn’t want to recognise Him as God’s Son. Many in these days make light of God’s word and warnings, they believe you can get to heaven in your own strength providing you’re good and you haven’t done anything nasty, but the Bible tells us that all have sinned in which case all are in need of the saving grace of God. 

Jesus came for the good and the bad, any who are willing to come to repentance acknowledging their sins, repenting and believing in Him for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

Make sure you are wearing the right garment when God calls you home or when Jesus comes back, cast off all the filthy garments of this world and trust in the saving grace of our God.

Isaiah 61:10

Warning for Christless Souls

Sentimentality doesn't get you into heaven, the cross of Christ does.

BECAUSE GOD HAS MADE NO PROMISE TO CHRISTLESS SOULS TO STAY HIS HAND ONE MOMENT. God has laid Himself under no manner of obligation to you. He has nowhere promised that you shall see tomorrow, or that you shall hear another sermon. There is a day near at hand when you shall not see tomorrow.

V. IT IS A SORE SLAUGHTER.

1. Sore, because it will be on all who are Christless.

2. Sore slaughter, because the sword is the sword of God.

(R. M'Cheyne.)

Untimely mirth
Lightfoot says: "I have heard it more than once and again, from the sheriffs who took all the gunpowder plotters and brought them up to London, that every night when they came to their lodging by the way, they had their music and dancing a good part of the night. One would think it strange that men in their case should be so merry." More marvellous still is it that those between whom and death there is but a step should sport away their time as if they should live on for ages. Though the place of torment is within a short march of all unregenerate men, yet see how they make mirth, grinning and jesting between the jaws of hell!
( C. H. Spurgeon.)

Ezekiel 21

There is only one way by which man can be saved, saved from sin, saved from guilt and shame, saved from judgement, saved from condemnation, saved from God's wrath. And that is to repent of your sins and put your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. 

You Can't Out Give God

You can read about two meetings at the Ripley Salvation Army Home League in their blog, here. The first week we took in photographs and the following week Pamela spoke on treasure. The ladies spoke of things they had collected as hobbies. Pamela shared with us that she had once had to give up a treasured possession, she had found it hard but even so she did it believing this was what the Lord was asking of her. At the end of the meeting I jokingly said that I had a boomerang that was a treasured possession and I had tried to give it away but it kept coming back, yes there was much groaning from the rest of the people there, but do you know there is an element of truth in this because whenever you bless someone by giving you are blessed right back

All that we have is from God, there is nothing good that we have not received but from Him. It seems to me that the more you give the more blessed you are, not because God is rewarding you for good works, or that you are saved by good works, but simply because you can’t help but feel blessed knowing that you have given something, or done something, or prayed for someone in need. Why, because it is Christ’s love that motivates us. This is totally different from the heresies of the faith movement and the prosperity movement, who give a God wants you rich gospel and it’s your fault if you’re not healthy, and wealthy, you don’t have enough faith or you’ve sinned.

I am talking about a genuine love for the Lord Jesus Christ that outworks in thinking of others before self, and in blessing others we are blessed. Not with wealth and possessions but with all the spiritual goodness that comes from God. We give for other’s needs, and God gives in ways that we would never have imagined for our own needs. But I can never give more than God has given me how do I know? Because I cannot save anyone, I cannot redeem anyone, I cannot sanctify anyone, I cannot give anyone real peace and joy, that comes only from God through the Son. But I can point you to the one who can, the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross at Calvary and took the punishment for our sins. In Him alone is real peace, forgiveness, and joy. The world can’t give you these things but oh how blessed we are when we receive them through Christ Jesus.

What is your motive for giving? It makes you feel good, or you enjoy doing things for others, or you want to make a difference? Everyone’s motives are different but if we know the Lord Jesus Christ then all that we do should be as though it were done to Him.  

Matthew 25: 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

God is faithful

Lyrics: Annie Johnson Flint

Music: Alfred B Smith

God Hath Not Promised

Are you going through hard times? Are things tough at the moment? I hope the words of this hymn will help you. God is faithful, He will never let you down, His grace and mercy are without limit, rest in Him. 

1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Where are you looking?

I have had a wonderful time today, this morning my son-in-law Mark took me for a ride on his motorbike as a birthday treat. My birthday was actually last Saturday but we couldn't do it then as we were both too busy, I had a wonderful birthday too, my family came in the morning and we had lunch together and in the afternoon I went up to the Salvation Army in Ripley as the ladies from the home league were being treated to a pamper afternoon by Esther Johnson who has a business selling Forever Aloe Vera products. Esther is the daughter of Pamela who is our Home League leader (not sure what the official title is), Pamela wanted to say thank you to all the ladies and gentleman for all their weeks of hard work practising for the Home League weekend. I had a face mask and my nails done, when the facemask was off I was quite relieved as it just got tighter and tighter until I couldn't move my lips. I suspect Esther put extra around my mouth she knows what a chatterbox I am. All the ladies thoroughly enjoyed themselves and commented on how soft their skin felt afterwards. So all in all with my presents, my family gathering and the afternoon of pampering I had a wonderful day.

And so it continued today with this great bike ride with Mark to Buxton through the Derbyshire Peak district, the scenery was awesome, sometimes we would go through what my sister Pamela calls, tree palaces and then come out into wide open spaces with fields on either side with sheep, lamas, and cattle. It is so good to see so many cows on our farmlands these days for so long you wouldn't see any because of the awful mad cow disease, I love to see them especially the long horns. There were quite a lot of babies with their mothers who were lying down on the ground chewing the cud. The sky was so blue, the sun was shining but there was a chill wind, but I didn't mind it was so glorious, and with all this wonderful scenery I couldn't help but think of our Creator and to praise Him for all this beauty. Mark treated me to a late breakfast at Morrisons which was delicious and afterward we stopped for a few moments at Wye Valley to take in the scenery and take some photos before we set off again for our ride home.

 We had stopped in a layby and there were quite a few cars parked most of whom were enjoying the view apart from one couple who sat in their car one reading a paper and the other a magazine!!  I guess some people just don't see what I see it reminds me of all the people who search here and there for peace and happiness they look everywhere except where it is. True peace and happiness can only be found in knowing God, how can we know God? Through His Son Jesus Christ. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

You cannot find spiritual truth by searching and looking in the world nothing matches up to it. I don't know if there were any pictures of scenes in the magazine the lady was reading if there was they certainly would not match up to the real thing that was staring her in the face but which she chose to ignore. When we came through Matlock there was a craft fair on so after Mark had dropped me off I went straight out again to get the bus to Matlock I wanted to get a picture of this chap.

I wasn't the only one hanging around in Matlock :) This guy was deceiving the people of course this was for entertainment but as I said earlier so many people are seeking and being deceived.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father expect through Me".

Now is the Time to Sing

We have had a wonderful weekend at the Salvation Army in Ripley for the Home League weekend. Major Joy Caddy took the service on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. A time to sing was the theme and wonderful songs of praise and adoration were sung to the praise and glory of God by the Home League. 

Ruben gave us a wonderful rendition of how we should not be, Mrs Beamish written by Richard Stilgoe and Peter Skellern after which we had a wonderful rendition of how it should be by the choir. 

O come let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our King,

Let us whisper His name, wonderful name,

Jesus our Lord and King.

O come let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our King,

Let us whisper His name, wonderful name,

Jesus our Lord and King.

For He is Lord of all the earth,

His glory outshines the sun,

See Him clothed in robes of righteousness,

God’s beloved Son.

O come let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our King,

Let us whisper His name, wonderful name,

Jesus our Lord and King.

We also had a duet by my sister Pamela and myself called For every Answered Prayer. Major Caddy posed the question, when do you like to sing? Do you always feel like singing? And of course we don't always feel like singing, the song by the Rivers of Babylon that the timbrels played to showed that the Israelites did not want to sing in the strange land, 

Psalm 137:1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? 

But we can, this world as the song says is not our home, we are just passing through and no matter how tough things get we can still sing the songs of salvation and redemption and play our tambourines. Major Joy reminded us of why we sing, we sing because of who God is, we sing because of what he has done and he has placed these songs upon our hearts, songs that we learn from our youth, songs that are taken from scripture, songs that tell of the God of glory and of grace.

Mary sang 

Luke 1: 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Mary would have learnt the songs of old and she would have remembered them, the song of Hannah, and the wonderful psalms. Psalms sung in times of victory and deliverance and also in pain and loss but always recognising the sovereignty, power and grace of God.

Major Ruth reminded us on Sunday evening of many in the Bible who sang in adversity, Paul in prison was just one example and of course the Lord Himself singing the Egyptian Hallel psalms at Passover when he was about to be delivered into the hands of His enemies to be whipped, mocked and hung to die on a cross for the sins of the whole world. There is nothing worse than that and yet Jesus sang praises of deliverance to the Father.

A time to sing? It is always a time to sing whether we feel like it or not, whether we are out of tune or not, God hears the songs of the heart and dwells within the praises of His people. May the Lord bless you. 

What price Freedom?

I was recently invited to go to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas in Staffordshire with my friend Betty from the Salvation Army. I stayed with my daughter the previous evening as the coach was leaving from Belper, so I had a wonderful evening with my daughter and a wonderful day with my friend Betty, a double blessing. 

I had never heard of this memorial park before and I was quite overwhelmed when I saw it, there were so many memorials for so many different kinds of groups and individuals and it is being added to all the time. We went round on the train which gave a running commentary of the various memorials we were passing I only wish I could fully explain the deep emotional effect it had on me, and the deep gratitude I felt for all those who had paid the ultimate price for my freedom, and the freedom of all who live in our land. We also went into the chapel which was as expected a very calm and serene place. I took so many photographs that I really don't know which ones to share, but you should be able to see them here: Staffordshire We only stayed for a few hours, ideally you need a whole day because there are parts of the gardens that the train does not go to and so we missed some of them. I did manage a walk around afterward but couldn't go too far. The weather was glorious and the company was lovely.

There was one particular memorial that struck me which was the Korean War memorial of 1950-1953 which said, "Freedom is not free". There is a great cost for freedom as anyone living in a democratic society will know. Many in our own country have given their lives and are still giving their lives for the freedom of our nation, it is a sobering thought and we should always remember their willingness to die for our freedom. 

But the greatest freedom there is is not democracy, it is not freedom of a nation it is a freedom that has to do with individuals, a freedom from darkness, a freedom from sin, a freedom from fear and this has been payed for at a great cost to our Creator God and His Son Jesus Christ who was willing to take the punishment for our sins in order that we may know true lasting freedom. 

Our country owes a huge debt to those who gave their lives, but greater still is the debt we owe for our salvation, but it is a debt we can never, ever repay, and thankfully we don't have to because it is all of grace .

Mind the mines

My friend Maggie lent me a DVD called Against all Odds, it's the story of a Journalist meeting people in Israel who have experienced a miracle. One of the things that happened was in the Yom Kippur war, some Israeli soldiers found themselves in a Syrian minefield, it was night and the sky was cloudy. All they could do was get down on their knees and very carefully dig around and if they found a mine disarm it. This of course would have been painstakingly slow however as they started to carefully dig around a fierce wind blew then the clouds parted and all the mines were exposed, the Israeli soldiers could now walk through the minefield in safety. There had been no wind before and there was no wind after, I was awestruck, God is an amazing, powerful and surprising God. He is also faithful to His word and He certainly has not finished with Israel, if He had then they wouldn't be back in their land that He gave them.

He hasn't finished with us as individuals either, and when we are born again, in other words repent of our sin and ask Jesus into our hearts and lives, He continues to change us from the inside, we can't do it of ourselves, many people try all sorts of things for true peace and joy but their searching is always in vain. There are self-help books but no matter how much you help yourself, no matter how much you do to make yourself feel better it is not lasting, what the world offers is fleeting and it cannot offer true peace. But God in His mercy when the devil sets out all those mines in our lives will expose them by His Holy Spirit and through His word. When we became Christians we didn't get on a cruise liner as the faith and prosperity movement would have you believe, no we got on a battleship, we are in a war.

Those mines can be anything, secret sins, arguments with a brother or sister, broken relationships, all kinds of things. The devil, the world and the flesh will try and blow up your relationship with the Lord. There are also all the false teaching and false religions, if the devil can get you to believe anything but the truth then he's happy, he just wants to cause as much devastation and destruction as he can for the child of God, for the unsaved also who is seeking. The Holy Spirit if we ask for wisdom and discernment will expose these mines, and the word of God will disarm them. The devil cannot do anything to us when we are keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord Jesus and obeying His word. Of course to obey His word you need to know what it says so it is good to read and study God's word every day to see what He has to say to us.

Don't fear the devil, don't fear man, and don't fear these mines as God helped those soldiers through that minefield He will help all His children through all the problems and battles that come against them. Our God is a faithful God and we can trust Him and His word. Amazing, awesome things happen when a child of God goes on their knees and I find it amazing that God our Father is interested in the smallest detail of our lives as well as the big things. Praise His name.