Who knows the outcome but God!

(James 5:18) “Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

All things must come to an end and after putting our shoulders to the plow we only initially see broken ground, but after a season, what was once a barren fruitless land has the potential to steam with life. I wonder how many times in life we have felt that our words have been wasted on deaf ears, but have they ever been exhausted, it may at times appear so, but time will tell! A lot of effort is often only ever rewarded much later. Remember the time when a ruler of the Jews came to Jesus by night, Nicodemus found himself wrestling with so many words that the Lord conveyed. It is a good thing to inquire after truth; I believe God commends us when we seek it out. Moses did not pass by the burning bush but made it his business to examine it: - “And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." (Exodus 3:3-4) 

Nicodemus felt the same way, something drove him to seek out God’s truth for his life, this is exactly what happens to every born again believer as questions need answers. I pray that God would pour out His abundant mercies on all I have had the privilege in sharing the gospel with over the last few days. It may not have always been as accurate as I would have liked, nevertheless Father please get them to enquire, get them to seek out the truth just like you chose to do with Nicodemus. I was no different, as I ran from your glorious face and yet in your mercies you gave me life and opened my eyes to see your beautiful face.

How could we ever claim to understand with absolute clarity how you choose some and not others, who are we to ever question any decisions you make, that would be blasphemous! However we do and must seek out knowledge to understand how we will please you Father God and live more obedient Christian lives. There is a willingness that God the Holy Spirit places in a man’s heart, no different I believe in character to what Moses must have inquired after; “And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." There is no doubt that there is a part that man must play in the finding life and yet how can someone that is dead do anything? He can’t! This is one of the great mysteries that the Word of God and His Spirit miraculously works, getting men and woman to fall to their knees and seek out repentance.

I am convinced that it will only ever be the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance, but when He begins to stir up our minds to seek out answers, we now have our part to play, and we must just like Moses enquire why the bush kept burning and yet the source that fueled it never needed replenishment.

Nicodemus had many questions as he initially reason as a man leaving him with this conclusion; Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" (John 3:9)

That is where it started for him, where did it start for us? It began somewhere! Faith is the substance of things hoped for, it cannot be seen as clearly as a sunset and yet when we receive life through repentance it is as real. My prayer for all throughout our golf tour is that they would be those who now seek out answers and with great expectations. So that God in turn would give them life. Nicodemus eventually ended up with all those who loved the Lord at His Memorial Service playing his part as one who now had been captivated by the work of Calvary; “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.” (John 19:39) – I have mention some of them by name so I implore you to pray for them, help me as we put our shoulders to the plow in prayer and who knows how fruitful this particular harvest may be. The prayers of a saint never go unheard, our God is a gracious God, and He has proved it in our lives as we too were once blind but now we can see.

Signing off

Tyrone