The phenomenal love of God

(John 6:37) “…whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Amazingly we serve a God who is too wonderful for comprehension. A God full of empathy and always willing to bless; praise His marvelous name! The only true and living God could have been a mean harsh God quick to anger and ready to destroy all those who oppose Him. And yet He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our stead. This thought humbles me so! We had all gone astray, like sheep without a shepherd. Enemies of the cross! Why would God even consider saving His enemies? Because He is full of compassion, praise His glorious name! This is the God I serve; He is my God and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, one and the same. The great I AM! To Him alone will I bend my knee? And why is it that I am able to replicate the love He shows me? Because He first loved me, without God making the first move I would be lost in my sin, blinder than a bat, but now I see! All hail King Jesus my Saviour!  

To God alone is the glory, what marvelous love, which creature could ever exhaust the depths of it? God’s love is immeasurable! And I am one who has found it, a sinner like me who is now free to bask in His incredible love. Why would He love one day and then despise the next. He is not human and full of changes like rippling water. His love is forever true; applaud His name now and forever more! He who has begun this great work will surely see it through unto the end!

The deeper my relationship becomes with my God the more I realize that He will never snap the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax. This is the God I serve and the invitation has gone out to all, look to Jesus Christ the Lord and live. He will not turn one away! But look you must! And once you see Him, call out unto Him and He will respond favorably. Praise the name of my God and King!

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37) – Why is it that some believe there would be an expiry date set to this promise? Or is our great God only capable of operating in ideal conditions; as if His assurance is like that of the contra-indications on a medicine bottle; as if any “allergic reaction” would hinder His undertaking. I have tried to avoid this topic for the sake of my Arminian brothers, but that will help no one! We must be accurate with the text! As they believe that salvation is partly up to the individual and they have it in their power to lose their salvation. This is not what the text teaches! If I struggle along the way, which has most certainly been my testimony, my God will certainly bring me through in spite of myself for His name sake. This is the God I gladly serve with my whole heart; He is not only capable of changing a man’s stubborn ways but amazingly willing to teach Him the ways of the righteous.

When examining the text no limit is set to the duration of His promise; Charles Spurgeon says it best: - “No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, “I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but, “I will in no wise cast out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out.” The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as he will not do it at first, so he will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” But suppose that believers backslide? “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” But believers may fall under temptation! “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but he will “Purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; he will wash them and they shall be whiter than snow”; “From all their iniquities will I cleanse them.”

“Once in Christ, in Christ for ever,

Nothing from his love can sever.”

“I give unto my sheep,” saith he, “eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What sayest thou to this, O trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, thou dost not come to One who will treat thee well for a little while, and then send thee about thy business, but he will receive thee and make thee his bride, and thou shalt be his for ever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Abba, Father! Oh! the grace of these words: “I will in no wise cast out.”

Some may present different formulas on how to stay saved; some say it’s the body of Christ that will get us home! It is obvious that by belonging to the body of Christ (a church) as an active member that it will help with our faith but it is God alone who will see us through unto the end! We must continue as we did at first looking to Jesus, He alone has accomplished the work, praise His glorious name! We began in the Spirit and others may believe that it is now the works of the flesh that will justify us; as if what we do or don’t do will qualify us for heaven. This is what the Apostle Paul had to say about this type of mentality; “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3)

Our total dependency is on the person of Jesus Christ and nothing more, look to Him and live. He will not only save the strong but also the weak in the faith shall all arrive at their final destination, heaven with all its glory. Praise His majestic, everlasting, treasurable name, now and forever more, Amen!

Wherever you now find yourself; did you once look to Jesus but find that the mud of sin has veiled your vision, be of good cheer all you need do is cry out unto Him and before long His righteous accomplishments will become your endeavours as His beauty once again begins to fill your life with joy unspeakable and full of glory! Are you barely hanging on to your faith with hurting cotton threads that are just about to snap under the pressure? Fear not! Look to Jesus and live! For you shall be plucked from the fire of unbelief! “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

  

Signing off

Tyrone

This body of death!

(Romans 7:24) “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?”

How often do I have to eat my words with the bitter herbs of repentance? It would seem far too often! “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thank God for the hope the Christian has. Without the hope of one day putting off this sinful body of the flesh, I would most certainly be amongst the most miserable of all living! However it is the hope in Christ that keeps me pressing on. There are times when I would far rather cry, “Take me home Lord, this life has nothing to offer me.” And yet there is work to be done for the sake of the kingdom! It is not as if I have lived a model life like many that have gone before, on the contrary I have blundered more than I care to consider. It is extremely demoralizing! Nevertheless I know that my God shall present me faultless on the day of reckoning. A miracle indeed!

How weak am I in so many areas of my life; thank you for your patience with me my great Father, I have often wanted to throw in the towel but you have come to my aid more times than I could count, Thank you! If only the sin that so easily besets, could once and for all be gone for good. The weight of it has such a negative reaction on those around me, please forgive me. My short temper is such a selfish trait and for this I seek your grace to deal with it in a godly manner. Keep my eyes fixed upon the finished work of Calvary. In comparison to what Christ endures my life should be but a breeze and yet it is far from that. “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?”

The cares of this life my God weighs up heavy on a man’s shoulders. How I long to be like my great Saviour, always focusing on the will of His father and even to the point of death! Praise His name! As the screws tighten may the searching out of your sustaining grace always be in the forefront of my mind. Renew a right spirit in me! In fact most of the distracting “has much to do about nothing”. Trivial nonsense! I shall focus on the promises of God, bless your name my great Jehovah, someday I shall be like Him and what a day that shall be. There is a day coming when I will in person see my God face to face and sing praises to His glorious name!  How I long for that day! Even so come quickly Lord Jesus! But until then help me to remain focused on what counts; the will of God for my life, Amen!

“O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord…” (Romans 7:25) 

Signing off

Tyrone 

Real Knowledge

(Proverbs 12:1) “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

Knowledge (“general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles") a commodity as precious as gold, but only if used for God’s glory! How on earth have I arrived at such a conclusion one may ask? Miscued knowledge was the downfall of man! Adam and Eve both ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil before they were entitled to it! But after eating they understood that they were naked and covered themselves with fig leaves. Because of their mistake, all of mankind has been thrust into learning from their own inaccuracies. We will all need to learn from our blunders along life’s mission; it helps us gather information that will in turn support change in our conduct, making us wiser. It is only the fool who rejects knowledge! “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15)   

The longer we live the wiser we should be; however it isn't always the case; in fact the reason that God shortened the lifespan of man was because they degenerated instead of becoming wiser; “Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."” - And the reason for His decision was this; “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them."” (Genesis 6:5-7) - Nevertheless, if we learn to appropriate God’s wisdom into our lives, it is obvious we will finish far wiser than most.

Solomon teaches us that if you “give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” But just as life had a beginning for all, so too must the beginning of wisdom spring from the right foundation; we will by default all try to gather information, it is part of our design. However if we start with the wrong information without ever correcting it we will all end badly. Where must we start if we want to end well? Here is the key to wisdom; “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10) – Now the systems of the world do not teach us this truth, it propagates education, degrees and doctorates as wisdom, they will only puff one up with carnal knowledge that will end badly if the fear of God is not our first focus.

Why we are initially told to fear God? Because he has it in His power to condemn a man to hell for all eternity; He is Sovereign and has it in His control to do whatever He pleases with His creation. He is the potter and we are the clay! We are the created!

The world has a system that teaches carnal wisdom (the wisdom of men, those who have been created) and those who propagate their message are doomed to pass away. Here is the Apostle Paul’s message; “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1Corinthians 2:5-8)

Therefore any message that does not carry with it the message of the cross is a message full of folly! “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1Corinthians 2:1-2) – The sooner we learn to build upon the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of our lives the wiser we will become.

God’s message, in and through the finished work of Calvary is a message full of hope and anything outside of this wisdom will only ever condemn; “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18)

God help us to embrace this valuable lesson, it is the greatest of gifts we could ever give to our children. Whoever you are resolve in your heart to focus on eternity rather than this world and its idiocy as it is passing away!

There was a man named Solomon, King David’s son; who up until then was the wisest man that ever lived. In fact he was so wise that people across the globe journeyed from afar to sit at his feet gathering information from him. His life was a life of searching out wisdom by trial and error; he personally tested just about every possibility known to man and their opinions. After all his searching out he arrived at this conclusion; “My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12-14) 

Signing off

Tyrone 

“The prelude of fulfilment”

“The prelude of fulfilment”

Faith comes first and then deliverance, not the other way around, with endurance as a core ingredient. Prior to baking a cake, one would need flour, milk, eggs, sugar, yeast or baking powder and obviously a pre-heated oven. Who in their right mind would proceed to bake a cake without all the components needed? In like manner we must understand the workings of faith before it will ever benefit our lives. Let us take the life of David as we work through the Psalms it is obvious to see the pattern unfold, there was most certainly “a prelude of fulfilment” prior to deliverance. Why would it be any different for us?  

We can expect deliverance from our God once we have learnt to endure in a particular area of our lives. But we must believe and anticipate that our God will come to the rescue. If not we walk in unbelief! I cannot get these words from the Apostle Paul out of my mind; “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” (Philippians 4:11-12) – I have a long way to travel! And yet I know of a certainty that my God will continue to supply all my needs, praise His name!

Having said that I must expect deliverance, faith demands it!

This was David’s journey as he fled from his son, Absalom; “O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!” – This was his cry and yet he was he was still on the run! – His emotions pleaded for deliverance with his pursuers hot on his tail and yet he believed that His God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would come to His aid. However the battle raged on; “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” He called on His past experiences to feed His mind, He remembered killing the bear and the lion when he was just a shepherd boy. We must remember the times of our deliverance when we find ourselves facing hardships! The trial of our faith is not only an experience we face alone, many have faced far greater trials and come out on the other side polished and refined bringing glory to God our Father. We must understand that the little trials we face are not exclusive; we must learn to be of good cheer as other Christians across the globe are fighting the good “fight of faith”!

Now observe the rescue David receives after many a struggle, fleeing for his life through different times in his life; “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.” – Regardless of the trials we now face we must in faith believe that as we cry to God our Father our voice is heard and when we have learnt through endurance to stay the course our God will intervene, of this I am persuaded!

May God help us with our unbelief and forgive us for our grumblings; to God now and forever more be glory and praise. All hail King Jesus!

Signing off

Tyrone

     

The Tongue!

In the Korean War the US forces introduced mine detectors as part of their arsenal. It was a magnetic metal detector that would sniff out mines buried just under the sand, carefully planted by the enemy. Their objective, stop the advancing forces! They were very effective and if triggered they would undoubtedly serve their purpose by slowing down the advancing forces, it was one thing if a man died but quite another if he was maimed. Think about the field dressing and all that went with that and then we understand the effect these mines really had. Hidden traps disguised with their surroundings, not easily seen but extremely effective if triggered!

David was a man fully aware of the evil ones traps; He understood that a man’s mouth could be used against him and that is why he prayed this prayer; “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalms 141:3) – The Apostle James teaches the exact same lesson but with more insight attached to it; “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.” (James 3:2-3) – I suppose traps are set in front of us to trigger the tongue in order to disqualify the believer, to get people to say, “And he says he is a Christian.” James teaches that if we learn to bridle the tongue we will also be in control of our bodies; this is a very interesting consideration. Discipline must then start with our tongues, may God help us to take what we say seriously! By implication if we resolve and ask God to keep a guard over our mouths and set a guard to keep watch over the door of our lips, we will then travel through the mine fields of life with the greatest of mines detectors as part of a daily resource.

I do believe the point James is making is the tongue is the root cause of our daily sin! “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”

Matthew Henry has this to say on this topic; “Were we to think more of our own mistakes and offenses, we should be less apt to judge other people. While we are severe against what we count offensive in others, we do not consider how much there is in us which is justly offensive to them. Self-justifiers are commonly self-deceivers. We are all guilty before God; and those who vaunt it over the frailties and infirmities of others little think how many things they offend in themselves. Nay, perhaps their magisterial deportment, and censorious tongues, may prove worse than any faults they condemn in others. Let us learn to be severe in judging ourselves, but charitable in our judgments of other people.

II. We are taught to govern our tongue so as to prove ourselves perfect and upright men, and such as have an entire government over ourselves: If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. It is here implied that he whose conscience is affected by tongue-sins, and who takes care to avoid them, is an upright man, and has an undoubted sign of true grace. But, on the other hand, if a man seemeth to be religious (as was declared in the first chapter) and bridleth not his tongue, whatever profession he makes, that man's religion is vain. Further, he that offends not in word will not only prove himself a sincere Christian, but a very much advanced and improved Christian. For the wisdom and grace which enable him to rule his tongue will enable him also to rule all his actions.”

If we follow the progression of David’s Psalm, he is mindful of the traps that lie ahead. Evildoers are lying in wait for him to be caught in their snares, but he is all about keeping his eyes fixed on his God and we too must be as resolute, with our eyes fixed on our God! “But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (Psalm 141:8-10)

Signing off

Tyrone

Stand Still!

(Exodus 14:1) “Then the LORD said to Moses…”

It is tough at times to know whether to retreat, advance or to stand still! The pressures of life press hard at times and we naturally find that something needs to be done to alleviate the situation. The Children of Israel fled Egypt with the strongest of armies tracking them down, with one intention and that was to annihilate them. They felt such panic that this is what they had to say to Moses; “They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."” (Exodus 14:11-12) – Enlisting as a Christian is not for the faint hearted! Once we enlist as Christians and look to be about our Fathers will and not our own wants, we face another ball game altogether! If we have not taken stock on what is required from the Christian, we too will echo the word of the Israelites, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians' and that would be very sad. To be fair I would need to confess that I too have felt like that at times. May God forgive my unbelief!

Thoughts flash through my mind when I am hard pressed; should I initiate something or not; how do I know whether I am being slothful or whether I should put in an effort? When everything you have put in place seems to crumble around you, what is a man to do? I know the result of an idle mind; “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” (Proverbs 19:15) – Am I on the brink of suffering hunger because I am idle? And yet it isn’t my intention to be idle! I pray that doors would open so that I can get on with life. However doors open and then they are very quickly shut! What is the lesson? Could it be a consequence to my folly along life’s journey, all the mistakes I have made? Will God hold me accountable as say “that is you lot in life, deal with it”, and if that be the case then praise His glorious name! I must learn to accept it! Or is it another voice I hear, a deceiving voice looking to trip me up. Show me the truth now I pray my gracious Heavenly Father.

I suppose I must search deep within my heart and examine my intent; am I sitting by waiting slothfully or am I sitting by waiting to hear His voice say “GO”! This then is the question that needs to be answered. Nevertheless once the reality of it all sinks in; we must dust the dirt from our knees and seek His counsel. OUR GOD IS ABLE! We must learn from Him!

We must learn not to fear the intermittent danger we think we see; There is nothing too great for our God; He controls the universe with absolute accuracy. This then was Moses’ retort; “And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."” (Exodus 14:13-14)   

My own natural character says “make it happen”! Faith teaches to trust in things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen…

Tit-bits of success appear and then disappear; I cannot retreat nor can I advance as there is danger on all sides but I can stand still and wait for clear instruction from my Commander and chief, so until I hear a clear audible voice with a distinctive order I shall stand and wait for my God’s tutoring. Let me ignore the voice of precipitancy as it cries, “do something. Stir yourself; to stand still and wait, is sheer idleness.” But to take my eyes off the Lord would be sheer madness. There has been far too much of that on this hopeful journey.  Help my gaze remain fixed on you Father God and as you utter that command may I be the first to react in accordance with your will and may it be to your honour and glory.

May my posture now remain upright as I further await you instruction as I am convinced that understanding will come. I eagerly await that command, “go forward” but until then help me remain resolute with my eyes fix on the finished work of Calvary, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

Enemies of the cross...

(Romans 5:8)  “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Can you echo these words, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus, when I think of what he has done for me, my very soul cries out HALALUJA, praise God for saving me!” It was no nimble feat to rescue all those who now confess Him as Lord! It was painful and it came at great cost! It needed God in the flesh to die so that I could go free! That is a phenomenal thought if you would dare to spend some time mulling it over.

If we were to consider an unworked lump of clay: Who would have the power to create whatever they desired with it? Would it not be up to the individual, do they not have the power to do whatever they please with it? The power is in the individuals hand to do as they please! Why then do we think as created beings that we have the power to dictate to the creator, the One with the power? It makes no logical sense and yet we claim rights when in fact we have no rights.

People make plans and create empires with the mentality of “we will achieve” and all it then takes is one small gale-force wind, or an earthquake and their dreams are shattered. Does not the potter have power over the clay?

God chose to save His enemies, to prove that He is a God of love. Not that God needed to prove anything and yet He chose to do exactly that! Wow! However, it came at a great cost; God looked down upon His creation, mankind, and saw their lost estate, no different to a headless chicken after slaughter running around without eyes, far blinder than any bat! With everyone only concerned about themselves. But not our great God, He took pity on us, and made a way for us to be freed from the bondage of sin.

This is what was needed and what God chose to do…

God is “righteous”, this is one of His glorious attributes; He will never operate outside of His own character to achieve an objective. On Sunday night Carte Blanche had a documentary of the “White Widow”, a woman involved with the jihad (“a campaign waged by Muslims in defence of the Islamic faith against people, organizations, or countries regarded as hostile to Islam”); proof was provided that she would use any means to achieve her objective, bank fraud, unpaid rent, stolen I.D and the like. The bible has this to say; “that you will know a tree by its fruit”. God never used sin to defeat His enemy. He defeated the devil with righteousness!

How did He achieve this?

God became a man through the birth of a virgin woman, Mary; she then gave birth to a son name Jesus. He lived like any other boy of the time, He was subject to his parents authority; he had to endure the challenges of puberty; he faced stern opposition from the religious leaders of the time; he was tempted of the devil; he sweated drops of blood enduring temptation; he was humiliated, spat upon, whipped, stripped naked, beaten beyond recognition, falsely accused of wrong doing, nailed to a cross; left alone to take on the punishment of mankind’s sin, and then left for dead. And through it all, Jesus never exceeded one of God’s Commandments! Why was this necessary? Because God is righteous and He needed the sin of mankind to meet its required punishment; someone had to pay the price for sin! Jesus Christ the Lord paid the price for man’s sin and not his own as he had no sin!

This is why the Apostle John says this in his gospel; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

God is the potter and He most certainly has power over the clay (His creation) and this is what He chose to do for sinful man; He could have started all over again by blotting us out, but God chose in His mercy to make a way for reprobates like us, praise His name! He sent His Son, God in the flesh to pay the price for our sin. We have now been afforded the opportunity to come to Him and seek out His forgiveness. Disregard this offer at your own peril!

One last question that now needs to be answered, do you think you are good enough in yourself to get God to accept you or do you acknowledge that you are inherently sinful and need forgiveness for your sin? If it is the latter we must come the way of the cross. God cannot accept any other sacrifice outside of His Son the Lord Jesus, He is Righteous!

Some may believe themselves to be righteous, which in fact is nothing more than a lie! “And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”” (Luke 5:31-32)    

Are you sick, have you been tainted by sin? If so, be of good cheer, you qualify for salvation. Call upon the name of the Lord with a sincere heart and you shall be saved!

Signing off

Tyrone

    

The sweet waters of patience...

(Romans 2:7) “To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;”

Patience is a virtue that is naturally foreign to our characters, but if we want something badly enough we will find the resolve to stick at it. We must therefore believe that it will be worth the wait! As a wildlife photographer wanting to attain, you will soon learn the lesson of patience if you want to achieve your desired results.

I recall waiting for six hours in the Kruger National park with cars coming and going before the prize arrived; a leopard returning to its kill! One of those images is now part of my wildlife portfolio. Without the wait I would not have received the reward!

Christianity is a religion full of reward for those who wait it out, the Lord Jesus shall return with His reward! However only those found faithful will be recipients of that remuneration.

I am persuaded that we will only ever learn the lesson of patience if we latch onto the reward, without hope we will be ineffective in this area of our lives. As Christians would we willing endure affliction if there was no reward, would it not be better to eat, drink and be merry? This is why so many eat, drink and focus on the carnal rewards they see in front of them, because they are tangible and real to them. But they do not understand the gravity of that choice! If they did they would change their ways. Have I change my ways is the question that needs answering? May God continue to renew a right spirit in me and may the hardship I face help me understand that it will be worth it all! The hope of heaven must be bigger than the goals of this life, if not; our strugglers will weigh heavily on us as worldly sorrow chokes life from us.

It would be quite a thing if these lessons that our Father teachers us never had any relief; thank God that He is A God of love and He cares for all His children. There were times in the dessert where the Children of Israel were parched and needed water but there was no water in sight; “Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer."” (Exodus 15:22-26)

It seemed like a helpless situation, BUT GOD came to their rescue! Many begrudge their predicament but not all! In spite of so many moaning God’s grace came to the rescue, praise His name! The waters in life can be very bitter, but they are no match for our God, He will sweeten them as and when He sees fit. Once we have learnt to trust Him through the roughest of patches I believe that is when the waters will be the sweetest! Without the lessons of patience, this truth will remain foreign to us!

My prayer is that God would help us all understand His ways and teach us to trust Him more and more each day. Our God is a God who loves to bless His children; Let us learn to trust and obey; let us learn from Him as it will always be to our benefit!

Searching out the treasures of this world is but vain glory and filled with an emptiness that will never truly satisfy. For all who patiently seek out honour, glory and immortality we know we shall have them. Our reward will not be a fleeting event in this life that comes and goes with trouble often attached to it. Our spiritual reward will last for all eternity. And with the beauty of God’s brilliance manifesting itself along the way that even through the struggle we can experience a calming peace, praise His name!

The lesson of patience is not our enemy but our friend!

Signing off

Tyrone 

Pursuing Holiness

(Romans 6:2) “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

Considering the Lord Jesus’ lessons we glean from scripture; it is extremely refreshing when the Word of God is enlightened to our minds. When understanding, it is as if a light switch has just been flipped; Christianity is most surely alive and it is refreshing to drink from the waters of life! God the Holy Spirit is the greatest of helpers as He teaches us all things pertaining to God and His kingdom; He opens deeper understanding of the Word of God to those who search it out.

Why is it important for the Christian to pursue holiness? It seems like such hard work at times! If this is the way you feel, like I once did, then we lack understanding. If we neglect this high calling and habitually remain in our sin, we will only ever be as effective as someone handicapped, always relying on others for help! If grace becomes license for our sin we have once again been tricked into believing a lie! This trap has ensnared me for far too long, but by the grace of God, “no more” is my cry!  

After a miraculous conversion about twenty-seven years ago, where the mercies of God carried me through such a radical about-face from so many sinful habits without any effort at all. However, before long a lack of carefulness cause me to fall victim to the same sins all over again. I could never understand that if I was now no longer class amongst the sinners: as I was now sanctified by the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice, He had paid the price for my sin and having understood that my debt had been paid in full. This is irrevocably true! - Why did I now have the urge to sin all over again? This then is the reason: - Just as a toddler learns to take their first steps leaving the immediate care of their god, mom! There will come a time in every believer’s life that they too will have to learn to stand and walk in this vicious world of sin. It is not as if the Lord forsakes us, He is always with us, but there must come a time where we must make our own choices. Will we go there, mix with those people or partake of this and that. The less careful we become as Christians the harder the lessons will be! Thank God that His grace has not only been extended to the strong per say but also to the weak, to those who kick against the pricks, those who think that they are strong enough to swim against the current. What a great merciful God I serve, He never gave up on me, but pay careful attention, there must come a time in a believers life that they themselves say, “enough folly, I’ve done it my way long enough, please Father God forgive me for my stubbornness and renew a right spirit in me, so that my life may now be about your will and no longer my selfish misguided wants”.

How much pain have I had to endure because of my foolishness; a shattered femur, HIV, insolvency and divorce…! ENOUGH!

I serve an awesome God, He has mercifully heard my cry and for this I am forever thankful!

Let us look at the account of the paralytic in the book of Matthew; “And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he then said to the paralytic--"Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”” (Matthew 9:2-6)

Once our sins have been forgiven we will be able to rise up and walk in newness of life, overcoming the sin that once enslaved us, but if we neglect God’s call upon our lives and habitually go back to our old ways we will once again find ourselves incapable of walking freely in the Spirit. And before long we will find ourselves needing others to carry us on the same stretcher we clung to prior to salvation. Just like a dog returning to his vomit! Where confusion will be the order of the day!

Sin handicaps us, but if we look to God for grace to overcome sin, before long we will be running with our sister “peace” in the lush meadows of His freedom! This is the lesson we must all learn along our journey and the sooner it hits home the better! Sin has been conquered by the blood of the Lord Jesus; let us take revenge on that which held us captive for so long. Let us trust our God as we learn to approach His throne room of grace with complete confidence, knowing that His grace will suffice in any given bind we find ourselves in! No longer slaves to sin but freed souls indeed!

Signing off

Tyrone   

Band of Brothers!

Once a man has seriously resolved in his heart to put his hand to the plow as it were, only then does he realizes how much work lies ahead…

It is one thing to take on a task but quite another to see it through to its end. This is the call for the Christian! We have all been summoned to walk worthy of the calling in which we have been called; with the Lord Jesus as our example! It is a high calling! With the enemy, the devil looking to prevent us from reaching our goal; nevertheless our God, our great God will guide us through the mire and the tricky obstacles alone the way. It is imperative that we use the cords of love to bind the shield of faith to our forearms, which in turn will help us quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. His time is short! But for now he continues to roar as a lion seeking those weak in the faith. His objective, to get the Christian to walk in unbelief! However we know in whom we believe! Our God is not only able, but willing to sucker His children! Praise His name, He is the great “I AM”!

The battle rages on, we must all arrive at this end, if we are to be found fit for the Masters use; we must be faithful friends to those who share our trenches, we as brothers must lock hands with a banner that reads; “Band of Brothers”! We must be friends to all Christians and sworn enemies to all sin. Sin looks to destroy and rob! The lure of all sins falls into the same basket, Lies! It looks to deceive the one occupied by it and its conclusion is empty and void of understanding.

Love is the law of Christ’s kingdom; we are our brother’s keeper. Unity of the faith is a sign of maturity; “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:13-14)

My life has been so captivated with pride, driven by parents from a young age to be the best of the best. It is all about self! Now by the grace of God and with my hands on the plow the reality of the changes needed is a daunting thought! The means of unity is to be meek, long-suffering, humble and tolerant with one another in love. I needn’t look far to understand this truth, the mirror will suffice! How God has been patient with me, melts my heart and brings with it tears of gratitude. As I gaze across the meadows of my unplowed field I realise that the task ahead is great, but I am persuaded that my God will see me through.

The words of that glorious hymn now comes to mind; “Amazing grace how sweet the sound who saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found.” How I have blundered things along the way, how often have I veered off course and yet now I stand in the grace of my God with a hope that burns bright and clear, praise the mighty name of Jesus Christ my Lord!

With our tender hands fixed to the plow it is obvious blisters will form and there will be times when we find the pain unbearable, but know this, before long callouses will form and the pain will subside. Those once rocky barren lands will in its season bring forth palatable “fruits of the Spirit” that will not only feed us but our brothers also!

May God help us to keep our hands fixed to the plow!

Signing off

Tyrone

New Birth!

Salvation in Christ will leave absolutely no doubt in a person’s mind whether they are saved or not, or will it? A healthy baby breaching its mother’s womb leaves the witnesses in awe; beaming smiles fill the delivery room; with an all-round nuance of Happiness. “A child has been born”, is their cry! And when the baby’s cry is heard there is absolutely no doubt that new life subsists.

Before long the infant acquaints itself with its mother and completely depends on her for warmth and milk. They need to suckle in order to live! If the baby is deprived of either it soon learns to cry with more adeptness. Nature teaches us many biblical truths, if only we would pay careful attention to it.

What then is the similarity to the child being born and the birth of a Christian? Both will desire milk in order to grow! The natural child will hanker after their mother’s teat, while the Christian will desire the sincere milk of the word in order to grow.  If we claim to be Christians and never spend time desiring spiritual food, then we must question our salvation! It may be a form of religion and nothing else! The idea that many philosophies suggest is that we must give time to our spirituality, but if we do not long for the milk that Christ offers all His children; that religion is dead!

A new born baby will die without its mother’s milk, so too will an apparent believer if they are not fed by God’s Word! A baby needn’t be taught that it needs its mother’s milk; likewise neither will a true Christian need to be taught that it needs the milk of the word; they crave it with a refreshing eagerness for all to see. They bring new life to the fold of God. Have you seen the effects a newborn has on their grandparents?

Therefore, will the observers be able to see if someone claiming to be a Christian is in fact a Christian? A baby may not realize that it is a baby, who can remember their childhood? But the bystanders will have absolutely no doubt!

As we grow, rebellion becomes evident, sin teaches us to push the boundaries with our parents; I suppose for many of us this is sadly our testimony, as Christians we have pushed the boundaries with our God. I Know I am guilty! Please forgive me Father God! I know you have, but no more folly is my cry! It is time to stand up and be counted!

If Christ has manifested Himself to someone they will desire to want to get to know Him, that is a given! For those who claim to know Him well will covet Him with zeal, this then will be our assurance that we belong to Him! If there is no evident desire, then we have our answer.

I suppose rebellion can cloud evidence of true salvation; nevertheless rebellion in a true child will run its course; “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1John 4:4) - Our great God works in His Children, we are under the influence of God the Holy Spirit and He is mightier than the men of devils. Look at the life of Samson or the prodigal son, “when he came to his senses!”

Phrases like, “I think he is a believer or he might be saved” speaks of doubt. True salvation in an individual will be clearly evident for all to see; just like the birth of a newborn baby!

Signing off

Tyrone

The Cauldron of Prayer

(Micah 7:8) “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise;”

The winters in Africa are short but real with its icy nip in the air; a fire in the early hours of the morning is always a pleasing sight. It brings a smile to those warmed by it. Prayer has a similar effect; it is capable of warming ones heart. It is when we neglect to fuel the cauldrons of prayer that the arctic chill of disbelief looks to rob us of our victory in Christ! Prayer is a vital part of our daily dress, it equips us for battle!  It allows our supplications to be heard and God our Father most certainly lends His ear to the prayers of His Children. May God help me to find the correct words to seek out His righteousness in my life with ample time spent on my misguided wants! 

How often do we as Christian’s waste so much time on prayers that are self-centered? Enough is my Cry! Teach me your ways Oh God, even to the point of hurt! Help me find the shortest route to this truth in my life; keeping me alert with all perseverance and always being mindful of my brethren in Christ across the globe who also have the same desire. Help them find the shortest course in their closets to your will in their lives.

We must keep the altars of our private prayer burning with secret devotion. Our enemy looks to rob us of this privilege that the Christian alone has in Christ! Others pray to the deaf idols but we have a God who not only hears but is also in touch with the feeling of our weaknesses! He is full of compassion, praise His majestic name!

Prayer reminds us of the weakness of our flesh as our words confess our struggles; it reminds us of where we need help in our lives, striving to make us more like our glorious Saviour. How I long to be more like Him! To be satisfied, knowing that I seek out God’s will for my life; “renew a right spirit in me” I pray! There is much molding that needs to happen, but I am confident that my God is able. When we learn to pray without ceasing, we know that we are on the right road. And when we learn to dress for battle from head to toe it will only ever be well with our souls.  

Let us never degrade ourselves by saying, “I cannot conquer this sin, for it is legitimate and lives within me with extreme persistence, it is part of my flesh, it is who I am and part of my character; I cannot change!” Allow no excuse for ourselves; we will not plead for a life of a single sin. That type of rational is unbelief! Our God the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, with daily ongoing sanctification as our goal! Our Saviour defeated every obstacle he encountered whilst on earth, He has now made a way for us to walk in victory; believe it we must! He left no stone unturned! We too must resolve within our hearts through prayer to leave no stone unturned; our God will answer our prayer! “Why should He one may ask?” The answer is an obvious one; if we seek out His righteousness all things will be added! There are no ifs and but in that statement; it is full of certainty and once we make it our own we will finds ourselves benefactors of God’s grace in all areas of our lives!

The certainty of this reality in Christ will mean that we must select the panting deer as our crest; we must pant for the water like that of a parched stag. This is why we must dress for battle; we must take up the whole armour of God and after having done all to stand. The devil will come with all sorts of schemes, but our God has defeated Him, praise the name of Jesus Christ our Lord! “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

When I fall bruising my legs and gashing my knees; when I cry to my God, I will be heard! My parched lips will be quenched by His eternal living stream, I will regain my strength and it will be well with my soul!

Let us therefore remember to pray without ceasing, for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working…

Signing off

Tyrone  

Speed Bumps

Exodus 4:11 Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

Faith is a substance so foreign to the carnal nature that it eludes most of the Christian masses. I know that this is now a very volatile subject as so many apparent churches have run a mock claiming so many lying signs and wonders that fall under the banner of faith! Nevertheless that does not mean that we must shy away from what God teaches us in and through His Word! We are not totally in the dark when it comes to the wiles of the devil; he would love us to live outside of the realm of faith, but it is imperative that we look to understand faith as we ort and then seek God’s face with sincerity to live by FAITH! Without faith we would never have been saved; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8) - Faith is added to our understanding by God, which enables us to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sin and that God raised him from the dead to accomplish this miraculous intervention. Faith feeds our hope!

We do not choose God, He chooses us and the more you explore this reality the more it will hit home; how can someone dead in their trespasses and sin ever choose God unless God gives them the faith to do it? “Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:9)  - When we use words like; “I can’t believe that man is like that”, it is a result of our lack of understanding, it is a form of boasting! We owe everything to God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour; it is a work of God not a work of man! When family and friends resist the gospel it is our responsibility to plead with God our Father to save them with a perseverance for His mercy, not because they deserve salvation but rather because God has it in His power to save them and because He most certainly hears the prayers of His children; our petitions do not fall on deaf ears! Prior to salvation we are all dead in our trespasses and our sins!

Can a dead man do anything? It is but a corpse; it will never be capable of life and even our apparent good works will only ever feed the worms. It is the most basic of all principles and yet so many argue this point! However once we are “born again” our childhood as new creatures in Christ begins! It is “super grace” that has been imparted to an individual and it is through faith that this miraculous event takes place. Faith is a facilitator that operates outside the realm of the natural! The Bible is very clear that once we have begun in the spirit we must continue in the spirit; considering this, all that means is that we must not now claim salvation as a work of our own doing. It isn’t a required standard that we meet which qualifies us for God’s kingdom; Christ has already met that requirement! We should never claim obedience by the works of the flesh! This is what is known as “dead works” or “dead religion”. However, it is possible to get confused! Two people may do the exact same thing in their service to God; one will be received and the other rejected, why? We understand this when we consider the very first sacrifice we see recorded in scripture; “In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard..." (Genesis 4:3-5) -We must learn to align ourselves with the good works He has foreordained for us to find and carry out but we will only ever be capable of achieving this once our spiritual journeys have begun! Our sacrifices to God must be through the realm of faith! – “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4)   

Coming to grips with this is one of the first “speed bumps” we face on our Christian pilgrimage! We tend to want to take over the reigns as it were! Education, degrees, bigger house, more money, self-sufficiency and the like are all goals we set to accomplish our existence. I have heard people say, “God helps those who help themselves!” This is a lie! God requires us to depend upon Him it is not the other way around. We are not accepted because of what we find ourselves doing but rather because of what He has chosen to do! Most of what we do is all about getting ahead in this life with very little thought on the life to come, eternity! We get it the wrong way around; faith teaches us to change our priorities!

Misguided faith also leads us down the wrong road! If our goal and application to faith is all about this life it is erroneous; faith teaches us to trust in our God come what may! The test is, will we learn to trust our God and depend upon His provision in every area of our lives? Not only the ranges we think we need help in!

Let us not view the hardships we face in life as a judgment but rather learn to understand that the greater our need the more dependent we will become upon our God and the wiser our understanding will be. Let us learn to lean on the “crutch of faith” and not on the systems of this world.

Signing off

Tyrone