The True Light!

(John 3:21) “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

Who is it we really depend upon? That question needs no verbal answer! All we need to do as we have often said is to look in the mirror as the retort stares us square in the face. If we don’t like what we see we could dim the lights, we then may hide some of our flaws but then we would not see as clearly. What is better, low light, hiding the creases and wrinkles of life which is obviously more flattering on the flesh, or sharp bright light which exposes every flaw, even the smallest of blemishes now highlighted. As a photographer, I will always look for the softest light when shooting a picture, it is always more flattering on my subject. It hides unwanted blemishes! Wildlife is something I love photographing, but to get the best images you only have an hour each side of sunrise and sunset in which to work, in order to optimise the best light and then you hope it isn’t overcast. We call that portion of the day, magic hour! I wonder why? The answer once again is obvious! Even a Hyena as ugly as it is on the eye is beautiful to behold in the right light. Magic, that is exactly what we all look for and not only photographers; I speak as a man who reasons according to the flesh. We spend time on our appearance to look as good as we can and a comment that is often thrown at me with camera in hand, “I hope you are going to make me look good” and I often reply, “The camera never lies”. We have been so conditioned; we hanker after lies without even knowing it. We use dappled light, a soft box or even the right angle to hide the flaws on peoples face when capturing a portrait. We mask things in our lives to hide our blemishes from others, BUT we can hide nothing from God as He sees all!

Now that we have the Spirit of God that lives within us, that is if you have been born again, we can either reason with our carnal eyes or with the eyes of the Spirit, which would be to our eternal benefit. Nevertheless we are left with a daily choice. The Word of God, the Lord Jesus is the true light of the world. What will we do? Will we look for magic light that if full of trickery and deceit or look for the true light to shine into our lives and expose our imperfections? I trust the latter will become more of our daily routine than the day before! It must be that way, if we are to please God our Father. There is a throne room of grace available to every child of God that we are allowed to draw from. No measure will be withheld from us, but we must seek it out with an earnest anticipation.

Whatever we have a yen for will give us our answer. If we look for continuous soft light hiding the blemishes in our lives from others then the flesh rules our lives. We are not walking in the Spirit and the more we live there the less effective we will be for God. But when we look to the Word of God as blinding as it may be at times, it brings forth fruit in our lives, bring glory to our God. Job was a man that God was not ashamed to call out before Satan and although he suffered extreme hardship, he never cursed God but honoured him even through his testing time. He welcomed the true light from heaven. It is a painful fixation when God exposes the sin in our lives but it is needful. May our cry be, shine Lord Jesus shine! We know that in the end it will be advantageous for all who walk in the Spirit and look to live with this as their lifetime ambition. Hard it will be on the flesh but it will be glorious in heaven and for eternity. The Apostle Paul had this to say; “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

It would be good for us to learn to live in the true light for when we get home our heavenly abode will be full of light, in fact no darkness will ever dwell there.

Signing off

Tyrone

And being not weak in faith!

(Romans 4:19) “And being not weak in faith...”

When things around us begin to crumble, what will keep us looking heavenward? Faith is the substance of things hoped for; it is the evidence of things not seen. When life around a believer begins to crumble, and hardships press in on their lives, it is only then that we will truly understand the measure of our faith. It is God who gives his children good gifts, and faith is amongst that number. We cannot boast in ourselves if we have a measure of faith that seems greater than that of a brother. Faith is a gift of God!

Now if we have the Spirit of God, if we are amongst the quantity in God’s family and we have been adopted by Him and we brandish the surname Christian, then we obviously have a measure of faith. Faith in Christ’s ability to get us home! It is God given and it comes from the Spirit of God. Remember Joshua and Caleb, they had a different Spirit! Faith equips a believer to focus in on their hope; heaven is a place where God lives, that will be our final accomplishment, where hope is no longer hope as she would have arrived. That is what faith drives a believer toward, regardless of the hardship along the way; faith will end up the victor. We often ask why me? Well in the context of faith, the answer stares us clearly in the face without any contradiction and says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Let’s unpack this verse; it will help us get a clearer understanding of why things happen and who will benefit by the trail of an enduring believer.

Firstly let us establish that faith and hope go together, the object of faith and hope is the same. It is a firm persuasion as well as an acclimation that God will complete what He has started in the believer’s life. His Promise is in Christ, has He not proved that by sending His Son, God in the flesh, to die on our behalf so that every believer may go free, yes He has! Because this persuasion is so strong it gives the soul a kind of control and present execution of those things, the soul is given substance by the first-fruits and samples of them: so that believers in the use of faith are filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Christ dwells in the soul by faith, and the soul is filled with the fullness of God, as far as his present measure will divulge; he experiences a considerable reality in the matter of faith. However God cannot be seen with the naked eye, His power is revealed to all in and through creation as well as a believer enduring hardship, “it is the substance of things hoped for.” Faith through one’s mind demonstrates the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body which is of a natural nature. A believer’s application in faith sets to its seal that God is true. It helps the soul act beyond the here and now and is driven by the hope we have in God. Even when the believer is hard-pressed and their lives seem to be crumbling around them, even when those around them think that there is no longer any hope for them, they are given the wherewithal to reach out beyond their worldly critics and often the worse critics are amongst believers. They find faith in Christ to suffer the anguish and endure the adversity. Remember Samson, he lost both his eyes but he slayed more in his death than in his life. When others witness this in their lives they are by default left pondering, they ask, “Why do they have so much faith in what cannot be seen as their lives seem to be crumbling, maybe this God that they proclaim as the only true God, just maybe, He is real”! Our trial will prove to others that God is real, that is why believers are put through trial. It not only helps us understand our hope to be true, but is also gets the doubters to sit up and take note. God is glorified throughout! When we reason with a sound mind it is no longer our man-centred ambitions that take precedence in our lives but our lives become God-centred and He receives the glory and how sweet that is to the believer! It is not something we plan or look for, Job never asked for His trial, yet he had to endure it, his faith was tested as it left him in full of boils and sitting amongst hot ash, crying woe is me! But the end result was worth it all! He ended up the victor and God's name amongst the angelic host was glorified.

This morning I woke up somewhat despondent, yet now I am full of hope as my faith has been re-kindled. How important it is for every believer to remember to trim the sail of faith and even the more as we see that day approaching. It is only the Word of God through the direction of God the Holy Spirit that feeds us with faith and thus ignites our hope to once again burn bright and clear. Remember believer to trim your sail!

I will leave you with the words of probably the greatest gifted preacher over the last two-hundred years...

“Christian, take good care of thy faith; for recollect faith is the only way whereby thou canst obtain blessings. If we want blessings from God, nothing can fetch them down but faith. Prayer cannot draw down answers from God’s throne except it be the earnest prayer of the man who believes. Faith is the angelic messenger between the soul and the Lord Jesus in glory. Let that angel be withdrawn, we can neither send up prayer, nor receive the answers. Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth and heaven-on which God’s messages of love fly so fast, that before we call he answers, and while we are yet speaking he hears us. But if that telegraphic wire of faith be snapped, how can we receive the promise? Am I in trouble?-I can obtain help for trouble by faith. Am I beaten about by the enemy?-my soul on her dear Refuge leans by faith. But take faith away-in vain I call to God. There is no road betwixt my soul and heaven. In the deepest wintertime faith is a road on which the horses of prayer may travel-aye, and all the better for the biting frost; but blockade the road, and how can we communicate with the Great King? Faith links me with divinity. Faith clothes me with the power of God. Faith engages on my side the omnipotence of Jehovah. Faith ensures every attribute of God in my defence. It helps me to defy the hosts of hell. It makes me march triumphant over the necks of my enemies. But without faith how can I receive anything of the Lord? Let not him that wavereth-who is like a wave of the Sea-expect that he will receive anything of God! O, then, Christian, watch well thy faith; for with it thou canst win all things, however poor thou art, but without it thou canst obtain nothing. “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

Be like a Child!

(Mark 10:14) “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them...”

This morning I would like to explore my thoughts from a different angle, instead of dealing with the obvious, that which can be clearly seen from the text; i.e. the subject here is the children and the instruction is let them come with an emphasis placed on, not to hinder them from coming. Let us look a little deeper today and consider the reason for the disciples wanting to stop parents from bringing their children to the Lord.

Firstly they must have considered the Lord and therefore felt that they were acting in His best interest. They should have understood His heart in the matter; they had walked, talked and slept under the stars with Him. They saw how He went about his daily routine and witnessed his objectives. They obviously wanted to please Him! Except Judas of course, he was in it for his “own bellies sake”, but I do not wish to highlight his wicked exploits, let us rather consider the other eleven disciples and their willingness to want to please their Master. Everything about them was to please Him, sure they made many mistakes along the way, I am sure we can all relate to disappointing our Master, I know I can recount disappointments in my life. So many bad choices! All those bad decisions would fall under the category of wilful disobedience. But over time and in this blog much has been said on that, let us rather consider our actions when we thought that we were acting in God’s best interest, but we weren’t, just as the disciples thought in this account!

The disciples discouraged the parents from bringing their children to Christ; “They rebuked them that brought them”; it was as if they had been sure of their Master's mind in this matter, however He had lately warned them not to despise the little ones. Note:- He was unhappy that his disciples should keep them at bay; When He saw it, it was unpleasing to His eye, Mar_10:14. The question He poses to them is this; will you hinder me from doing what is good, from doing excellence to the rising generation, to the lambs of the flock? Christ is angry with his own disciples, He corrects their judgment and then overrules them and orders that they should be brought to Him, and nothing should be said or done to hinder them from coming; In fact He even makes reference to them as fitting, as those who belong in the kingdom of heaven, “for of such is the kingdom of God” and “suffer little children”, as soon as they are capable, to come to me, to offer up their supplications to me, and to receive instructions from me. Many of them if not all had come from the seed of Abraham. He owned them as members of his church, as they had been of the Jewish church. If we consider the Lord’s objective here on earth, did He not come to set up the kingdom of God among men? He came to live as a man without sin and then to die upon a cross and pay the price for sinners. His sole purpose was to do the will of His Father and that was to make a way for sinners, those who were once enemies of the cross, would eventually become allies of the cross, through repentance and the finding forgiveness in His finished work. They had not stopped to consider what David had penned in the book of Psalms 8:2 and what He later teaches in Matthew; “and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, "'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" (Matthew 21:16)

Have you ever witnessed the simple wisdom that comes out of a child’s mouth when they are aware of who God and Christ is, I have! It is like sweet water and it revitalises the soul, it is beautiful to the ear. The simplicity in their reasoning can often be like a breath of fresh air after been bogged down in a stale unventilated room. “At that time Jesus answered and said,“I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” (Matthew 11:25)

With that said, let’s now draw a parallel to our salvation experience. Let us go back in time and let us remember how sweet and uncomplicated life seemed to be. All we wanted to do was feast on God’s Word; the Apostle Peter encouraged us to bask in God’s Word: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1Peter 2:1)

Note:- when have you ever seen a newborn baby with traits of guile, malice, envies or evil speaking? A child as he grows may develop these traits but never a baby, which is the point!

In conclusion, we may often think we are doing the right thing in the eyes of God just like the disciples thought, but we may be miles off from acting in His best interest.

Father I plead with you this morning, be ever so merciful and teach us to be like little children in malice but mature in understanding; I pray this for all your children wherever they may find themselves through the world. If we have erred, help us to hunger once again to be like little children, sitting as it were on the knee of Jesus our Saviour, Lord and King and may we be ever so pleasing in your sight.

Signing off

Tyrone

Whoever believes will be saved!

(Mark 16:16) “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Now many believe, but what do they believe? Some believe in evolution others believe in some form of esoteric faith, while others believe in other gods. But the reference in this verse clearly warns all who read it that salvation will never be found outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, in fact all those who do not believe in Him will be condemned! It is almost to devastating to even mention let alone discuss, but as it is as real for those who believe in this glorious gospel message, the adverse of the hope is condemnation. There are always two sides to a coin. The denial of salvation through Christ accomplished saving work on Calvary will leave one facing an unthinkable damnation for all eternity. That will brings with it severe consequences and if I was not to mention those consequences them I would be no different to one of the devils allies, smoke-screening the truth, which is one of his damming traits, which he conspires to employ in as many lives as possible until it will be to late. When we pass from life to death there will be no second chances, if we miss this wonderful message of hope in and through the Lord Jesus Christ while we are still alive, we will open our eyes in torment, to what degree I cannot say as I have never been there but there will be a “wailing and gnashing of teeth”. In other words the pain in hell will be continuously painful, and it will have no end to it. But thankfully by the grace of God and by the blood of the Lamb if we believe and are baptised we will never have to face that torment. Christ saves not baptism! But having said that when we have been saved by Him we will look to be baptised (submerged in water) as it is our signature on our repentance document, it is our declaration to the world that we believe on Him and no other! If you say you believe but have not gone through the waters of baptism, I will ask one question, Why not? -“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1Peter 3:21)

If you have not been taught correctly concerning baptism, this is one thing, but if you deny your need for it as an obstinate individual, for the sake of obstinacy, that would not be to your benefit. Everything the word teaches us if for our own admonition, it is there to equip us and enable us to stand against the wiles of the devil. Nothing has been penned to fill the empty space on a blank page. Every word and every instruction has been carefully orchestrated by God. Sure, I agree men have written the words, yet under the inspiration of the God the Holy Spirit, if we understand that to be true, who has actually penned the Bible? We must take every word seriously and we must obey God’s instruction in and through His Bible! If we ignore what we are clearly taught, then we will suffer loss! Let us be wise in our application to it. If we have obey and we now have the Spirit of God indwelling our bodies and He has saved us, then we can with assurance look forward to our hope in Him. We all stand upon His finished work, regardless of our standing amongst one another; He views each of us who believe and in the words of C.H.Spurgeon...

“The fatherhood of God is common to all his children. Ah! Little-faith, you have often said, “Oh that I had the courage of Great-heart, that I could wield his sword and be as valiant as he! But, alas, I stumble at every straw, and a shadow makes me afraid.” List thee, Little-faith. Great-heart is God’s child, and you are God’s child too; and Great-heart is not one whit more God’s child than you are. Peter and Paul, the highly- favoured apostles, were of the family of the Most High; and so are you also; the weak Christian is as much a child of God as the strong one.

“This cov’nant stands secure,

Though earth’s old pillars bow;

The strong, the feeble, and the weak,

Are one in Jesus now.”

All the names are in the same family register. One may have more grace than another, but God our heavenly Father has the same tender heart towards all. One may do more mighty works, and may bring more glory to his Father, but he whose name is the least in the kingdom of heaven is as much the child of God as he who stands among the King’s mighty men. Let this cheer and comfort us, when we draw near to God and say, “Our Father.”

Yet, while we are comforted by knowing this, let us not rest contented with weak faith, but ask, like the Apostles, to have it increased. However feeble our faith may be, if it be real faith in Christ, we shall reach heaven at last, but we shall not honour our Master much on our pilgrimage, neither shall we abound in joy and peace. If then you would live to Christ’s glory, and be happy in his service, seek to be filled with the spirit of adoption more and more completely, till perfect love shall cast out fear.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

Put on the Mind of Christ!

(1Corinthians 2:16) “...But we have the mind of Christ.”

Obviously the greatest example of all men in every area of lives for us to follow is the Lord Jesus; we will unquestionably learn the most from Him. However we have also been given other examples to follow and we must learn from them where and when needed. Job is one we must often refer too, as He can teach us many things. He was also a sinner working out His salvation through His life trying to understand the call that God had placed on his life. We must look at our lives and do the same, but the Word is what must guide us and not our emotions. Sure they will have their part to play, but they must never overrule the precision of God’s Word, the Bible! The hardships we all have to endure, I doubt will never compare with what he had to endure.

The Word is very clear on many things; some verses are left open ended but as for Romans 8:28 Paul makes a statement, it is not opened ended at all; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Note: This verse addresses two qualifying criteria’s; firstly we must love God and secondly it must be about His purpose and not our own self-willed agenda’s. Our lives must be God-centred and not man-centred!

I was in two minds whether to share yesterday eventful morning with you but as it illustrates this point well, I have decided to do exactly that. I however am not even daring to compare this event to any one of the hardships that Job faced here while on earth. But his example helps us glean some vital principles that we must also apply to our lives.

Yesterday I was running behind a little on time, I had just finished posting my morning blog and as it was Wednesday I was off to play golf. I needed to get to Glen Dower Golf Course but what would normally take 30 minutes I now needed to do in less time. I wasn’t far off my calculations but I was still going to need to make up 5 or so minutes. I packed the Land Cruiser (4x4) with my golf clubs and a change of kit, got into my car and drove up the driveway, stopped the car, got out opened the gate, then I got back into the car drove out the yard and stop the vehicle to close the gate. I had done this routine at least 100 times,maybe more. I pushed the gear-lever into park or so I thought, I then got out the car with the door open and made my way still hurrying to close and lock the gate. On my way to the gate I heard a click as the gearlever clicked from park into reverse, the car began to move back through the gate. It happened all very quickly. Instinctively, I tried to open the driver’s door even wider so I could jump in and stop the Cruiser before any damage was done. Time was not on my side as the vehicle was now moving downhill it all happened in a flash. When I realised that I was not able to get into the car I needed now to elude the driver’s door and the gate pillar, or else I would find myself wedged between the two. I got out the way in the nick of time but as the door was still ajar it was ripped from its hinges. As I had now move backwards I tried to do the same with the passenger’s door but also to no avail, the car was moving to hastily, so without closing the rear door I now jumped into the driver’s seat as it had now cleared of the gate post. I still did not make it in time as I heard a crunch as the concrete precast wall gave way as my Prado annihilated the wall as if it was papier-mâché. Eventually I managed with the help of the wall and the cars brakes to bring it to a halt. The damage was devastating, both doors had now been ripped from their hinges, thankfully there were no bodily injuries but the smash up to the wall and the vehicle was a lot worse than anticipated.

My first thought was why Lord? What have I now done wrong, you see my life has been filled with so many bad choices and I have so many scars in my body to remind me of my folly through life, that I instinctively do a post-mortem on myself. I still think it is good to examine our lives on a daily basis. “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” (Proverbs 27:19)

It would not be to our advantage to go through life haphazardly and never giving thought to our actions as the Word teaches us very clearly that God chastens those whom He loves; “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:6-7)

And we also know although we are now sons of God we constantly battle against the thought of our hearts; “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mark 7:21-23)

Yet having said that we are also taught that we now have the mind of Christ so we have been given the wherewithal to reason with sound reasoning: "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Corinthians 2:16)

It is imperative that we begin to reason with His mind in our daily walks with us always seeking out God’s will for our lives, we must in our journey here on earth learn to become God-centred and leave all our man-centeredness behind. That is the call for every child of God! It is a process and it will take a lifetime, but be that as it may that is the instruction for every child of God. The very same truth is clearly seen when we break bread (have communion), we are taught to examine ourselves so that we will not be judged with the world. If we do not then we may suffer His judgment and for this reason we may find ourselves weak and sickly and some may even sleep (die, not spiritually but our fleshly bodies will cease to exist) because this is not implemented in our lives. “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1Corinthians 11:28-31)

Now back to Job, he was a man that feared God and shunned evil and yet He faced hardship. Why? The answer is clear, so that God’s name would be exalted especially through His apparent misfortune. The Apostle Peter understood this very clearly, this is what he has to say on the subject: “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” (1Peter 3:17-18)

Suffering in all forms of our lives teaches us to rely on the promises and the hope of God through Jesus Christ our Lord; it prepares us to become more dependent upon Him than upon ourselves. That is why a verse like {(Romans 8:28) “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”} must be believed with all our hearts and never doubt as God is preparing us for a great honour where one day we will be with Him and receive a body like His dear Son that is incorruptible and will endure eternity without any more tears or pain, which is our hope! We must embrace it with all we have! Job’s motto must become our motto: “And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)

We must learn to examine our lives with the mind of Christ and if we need to repent because God in his love is humbling us, then let us do exactly that. If our hearts do not condemn us when we suffer hardships then we will have peace with God. Why, in the lives of a believer should we sorrow after a worldly sort, it is not welcome in our lives, because if we entertain those types of thoughts we know that they will lead to death. We have life and we have it in abundance, let us put on the mind of Christ and in so doing we know that we shall live!

Signing off

Tyrone

Walk in the Spirit!

(Galatians 5:16) “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

If we do not walk as strangers to this world then we qualify for what I need to now say, firstly I speak to myself and then to those who note what is now said.

Don’t do the same thing over and over and expect a different result; this is a principle even life itself teaches us. The mathematicians, scientists and astronomers are the first among the scholars to echo these sentiments. But on the other hand if we practise the same thing over and over as an athlete, it then helps hone our skills in a particular sport and we get better at it. The same principle can be applied to bad behaviour in our lives, in order to break them, we must interrupt their pattern, and we must do things differently! Our routine must change in order to break any ties to those bad routines and the good practices that produce fruit to our lives we must nurture with all our hearts. There are many opinions on how we should go about achieving this, the world and even our friends are full of idea’s, even my own mind concurs up information, but how do I know if what I am feeding will last? In other words will it stand the test of time in my life? Bear with me for just a minute and reason with me, the example I will use is a ridiculous analogy but it will help get my point across.

Say it was summer and we wanted a suntan, how would we go about getting one? Depending on the free time readily available to us, time would govern how we would go about achieving our goal, a bronzed body! But as this is now our objective we would rearrange our day to allow for this to happen. It would be ridiculous to say to ourselves, I am free form 8-9 at night so what I will do is lie next to the pool then and hopefully achieve my objective. I will use the moon to help me get a suntan. Impossible, right! The only way I will change the colour of my complexion is to be exposed to the rays of the sun. I need to lie in the sun or lie on a sun bed, I could always go for a fake can tan, it is an option, but easily picked out by a trained eye. It is also easy to spot out a wolf in sheep’s clothing to a trained eye.

If my objective is eternity, then I need to go to the source that can provide me with correct information regarding eternity. What use will it be to me if I ask a man who will die the truth on eternity, do you think it will be any different to trying to get a sun tan from the moon. It is a waste of time! I must go to the source to understand! Or at least enquire from someone who has gone to the source to find the information. Astrologers are mostly intellectual individuals, but what is their general mistake? They look to the creation to find answers instead of the Creator, why do you think they do this; I know the answer, not because I am gifted or special but because the Creator has shown it to us, all those who look to Him for answers will know this. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:20-23)

Many of them speak as if they have the answers to life, but they cannot with any certainty speak of the creations origin, they throw out theories like the “Big Bang”. They expect people to believe that nothing created something, it is so ridiculous and yet so many believe their gobbledegook.

Now back to my original point; how will we break bad habits and feed the good works in our lives to generate eternal fruit? We must go to the source; we must rely on the Ruler of eternity to understand eternity. In other words it is very simple, we must give earnest heed to that which will live for eternity, our souls! Our bodies will die, but our spirits will be eternal. Now whether we believe this to be true or not, it makes no difference to the truth, it is out of our hands because God has so commissioned it. Our spirits will either live forever or die forever, the Bible is very clear on this. Why do we waste so much time on our bodies and this life if it will eventually end, when we are taught that our spirit will live forever? Surely we should be mindful of this truth and store up treasures for heaven. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)

We are what we do!

So all those bad habits that keep us from storing up treasures in heaven need to be broken and all that glorifies our Heavenly Father must be hone and practised so that we get even better at it. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

We must recognize that our natural make up as humans oppose us achieving this objective, and all because of our sinful natures. We didn’t ask for it in person but this is what we have received because of our forefather’s sin, Adam’s sin! Therefore we must strive to find grace to accomplish walking in the Spirit.

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17)

Therefore the bad habits in our lives are anything that keeps us from walking in the Spirit, let us seek with earnestness to lose them and replace them with walking in the Spirit. Now this we know is sound advice as it comes from the word of God and it will have everlasting fruit to it.

Signing off

Tyrone

Grace For the Believer!

(2 Timothy 2:1) “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

I have often made mention of the fact that we all need to find grace in time of need, but what concerns me is although I know that this is an important aspect to every believers life, I still take this instruction from God to lightly. I am weak with my application to finding grace in time of need. We all stand covered by the blood of the Lamb if we have been born again and if God's Spirit lives within us. Then obviously we have found the grace of God and we are covered by His grace, we are sanctified by the blood of the Lamb, it was a once and for all time sacrifice, never to be repeated. In other word when you get saved, genuinely saved and it is God who does the work outside of man’s clever interventions, where they think they will help aid in the process by implementing programs to help God get people saved. This is man-centred and it will not stand the test of time, it cannot! Salvation is a work of God and always will be. Yes, men are used to preach and teach and then the Word mixed with faith works in a repentant sinner’s heart and God then gives them life. This is the way God has chosen to implement the saving of lost souls. “For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:13-17)

Note: faith comes by hearing, not hearing gobbledygook, but the word of God! It is God’s word and the accuracy of it that will give us true lasting faith and prepare us for what is yet to come. God uses the preaching of His word to save the lost. However once God does the work in someone’s life and they are then born again and regeneration has taken place, that person is then welcomed into God’s family. They are no longer classified as sinners in God’s reckoning; they are now part of His family and are saints or sons. Although we sin on a daily basis as we still have a flesh and blood body, we are no longer referred to as sinners by God, because if we were, then the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus would only have been a partial sacrifice, and it wasn’t! But rather a once and for all time sacrifice. Every debt for every sin of all whom are given sight and believe on Him is forgiven; past present and future sins. It is important to understand this and to make it our own, as it is taught by God’s word. This is why Paul teachers the Roman believers; “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19)

We are made righteous the day we are saved, and all because God the Father accepted the sacrifice of His Son on our behalf, He has paid the price for our (believers) sins. We cannot one day be righteous and then the next day be unrighteous. The work of the cross was a once and for all time sacrifice. “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:10-12)

The reason I believe many try and shy away from this doctrinal truth is they think they will give believers license to sin, as if we know better than God what must be taught and what we must keep in check, do me a favour! It is imperative that we understand this truth as we are now in God’s family and we wear his “coat of arms” and the Lord Jesus is our Admiral. The highest ranking officer in this army, Gods army! If we have His Spirit then we are part of this army. "No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the LORD...” (Deuteronomy 23:2)

It is God who saves and gives permission for someone to enrol in His army, not man!

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

In other words you must enlist in God’s army and the only way one legitimately qualifies is that he/she is born again. It is a work of God, He must give us life. The fruit of that life is repentance, we will then change and our priorities will also change, they must if God is at the helm. We were once dead in our trespasses and sin but now we have life, it is no different to the account of Lazarus, he was also dead and the Lord Jesus commanded him to come forth. He that was once dead now lives, we were also once dead in our trespasses and sin but now we live! Nothing we do or do not do will change this truth. If it was dependant on what we did, then the work of the cross would be nullified and it never will be. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.” (2Timothy 2:13)

However having said and establishing that truth, what I see, and it is still apparent in my life is the lack of surrendering in certain areas of my life. Some things still live and they should not. These are the areas I speak of when I make mention of how “I still take this instruction from God to lightly”. I am not serious enough in finding grace in time of need. This attitude must change! May God be merciful and help all of us where we struggle with our application. Tough times are on the horizon, things are about to get a lot hotter for the child of God. We must now begin to look to rid ourselves from all the chaff (everything that opposes God in our lives) that would want to rob us of finding grace in time of need. Bad habits must be rooted out of our lives and the only way we will accomplish that is to apply ourselves to the task, we must find grace to accomplish our goal. How will I know whether what I am trying to root out of my life is in accordance to the will of God? Ask yourself one question, will it make me more like my Saviour, and if the answer to that question is, absolutely! Then you have your answer. Find grace in time of need. We must also understand that as enlisted soldiers in God’s army we must act as militia, we are His armed forces.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

I battled with understanding this as a young believer, not at first, but as I began let things slip in my life a few years into my walk with the Lord, I now realise some of that rot still lives with me, and it should not! It is imperative that I find grace to root the decay out, as we must all strive to rid ourselves of anything that does not belong. We must look to the throne room of grace to find grace in time of need. Today is the day where we all will need to find grace in some area of our lives. May this then be a priority for us all, life is about working out the will of God for our lives, it is a time of proving and testing what is right in the eyes of the Lord!

“Christ has grace without measure in himself, but he hath not retained it for himself. As the reservoir empties itself into the pipes, so hath Christ emptied out his grace for his people. “Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” He seems only to have in order to dispense to us. He stands like the fountain, always flowing, but only running in order to supply the empty pitchers and the thirsty lips which draw nigh unto it. Like a tree, he bears sweet fruit, not to hang on boughs, but to be gathered by those who need. Grace, whether its work be to pardon, to cleanse, to preserve, to strengthen, to enlighten, to quicken, or to restore, is ever to be had from him freely and without price; nor is there one form of the work of grace which he has not bestowed upon his people. As the blood of the body, though flowing from the heart, belongs equally to every member, so the influences of grace are the inheritance of every saint united to the Lamb; and herein there is a sweet communion between Christ and his Church, inasmuch as they both receive the same grace. Christ is the head upon which the oil is first poured; but the same oil runs to the very skirts of the garments, so that the meanest saint has an unction of the same costly moisture as that which fell upon the head. This is true communion when the sap of grace flows from the stem to the branch, and when it is perceived that the stem itself is sustained by the very nourishment which feeds the branch. As we day by day receive grace from Jesus, and more constantly recognize it as coming from him, we shall behold him in communion with us, and enjoy the felicity of communion with him. Let us make daily use of our riches, and ever repair to him as to our own Lord in covenant, taking from him the supply of all we need with as much boldness as men take money from their own purse.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Father help us see clearly and help us remove all that which does not belong, for I ask this in the name of our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and I ask for the sake of your Glory, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Creation Groans!

(Romans 8:19) “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”

“As the saints are suffering for it, so they are waiting for it. Heaven is therefore sure; for God by his Spirit would not raise and encourage those hopes only to defeat and disappoint them. He will establish that word unto his servants on which he has caused them to hope.” (Matthew Henry)

As I listened to the tone of God through creation last night, the thunder and the intensity of the rain had a harsh pitch to it. I got the feeling that although He is patient, there is a day coming when He will once again say enough is enough, just like He did in the Days of Noah. I suppose we could dismiss that possibility as, yes I believed that happen then, but now God bringing judgment while I am around, get real! We have a tendency to protect ourselves with denial and our reasoning goes something like this, it happened to him (Noah) and that we can accept, but we reason as if it could never happen to me, until it does! Just as there were people alive in the days of Noah, they too had never seen rain and mocked the building of the “Ark”, but they all died in the flood ignoring the voice of God through Noah and his three sons. The great flood has come and gone, never to be repeated; “and I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die.” (Genesis 6:17)

Many propagate that it was an ice age millions of years ago that destroyed the world, the bible makes no mention of that but clearly spells out that just over six thousand years ago God did destroy the earth and all that lived on it; except Noah, his three sons and their wives. Why did He do this? The answer is very clearly spelt out; - “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. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8)

Amazingly and thankfully Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, if not that would have been the end of creation as we know it, maybe we would not have had to deal with this ongoing battle of wanting to do what is right, but often floundering with our attempts. Although we have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we can cry “Abba Father” we still make so many blunders with our lives. Having said that, we still have been singled out to find grace in time of need, the warning signs are now becoming more and more evident as we look around us, and if you listen a little closer you would have heard His voice through the rain and the thunder last night.

There was a time for the children of Israel after their wilderness experience, once they had reached the Promised Land and witnessed the many miracles that God had performed before their eyes. It was at this time that Joshua posed a question to them, although they had been witness to all of God’s blessings, he never assumed that they were on God’s side. He asks then to make a choice: “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."(Joshua 24:15)

I believe we are entering that time in history once again where judgement must begin with the household of God. It is going to get tougher in all spheres of life, just like Noah had to endure the flood although he was safe in his ark, he nevertheless saw the rain fall and people drown. Some say we will be taken before any hardship confronts the children of God. The rapture will catch us up into the air before “the birth pangs” begin, I do not see that clearly in scripture. What I do see, is that all of God’s children that He acknowledges and mentions throughout scripture without exception suffered hardships, why will it be any different for us? The rapture will be one of the greatness acts of God’s proclamations to those on earth, and there will be a great display on show prior to the His main feature, when the Lord Jesus’ returns on the clouds. Time does not permit us to explore that thought further as there are many different views to that event.

Nevertheless we must not be caught off guard, which is why we need to choose whom we will serve, if it be the New Age god, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, pagan gods and the like, even any religion that has Christian principles but not sound doctrine and accurate application to it. Just as God established His covenant with Noah, He now poses a question to us all and asks us; “choose this day who you will serve!”

Let us consider a war, two countries and sometime even more pick up arms against each other until there is a victor. They actually wear different uniforms so that they can easily differentiate between themselves and the enemy.

I have made my choice and I now publicly declare to whomever that I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that Jesus Christ the Lord, the son of David, the son of Abraham after the flesh is my God. Although He was a man after the flesh He was also the Son of God who left the portals of heaven to become a man, where he lived here for about 33 years without sin, yes that is exactly what I am saying and what the bible teachers, that He was without sin. He then chose to die for sinners so that they could go free. As we are all sinners and guilty of sin, without His covering we will end up in hell, the battle is about to heat up and we must all choose a side. I have chosen Him because He first chose me, I can see because it was God who gave me eyes to see. And now because I can see and I am reminded now of all I have been through, even when I was unfaithful, He remained faithful. I could never repay my great Saviour for the gift He has given me, but this I will say, by His grace and because of His mercy I pledge my allegiance to Him, I have chosen and I choose Jesus Christ the Lord my King. If that requires my life, then so be it! What is your choice? Whom will you serve and what uniform will you wear? There will be spies in the camp, those who wear His uniform but who have a hidden agenda, but just like Judas they will eventually be exposed!

Seek out grace, it is time for some serious training, basic training is to prepare a solider for what is to come, I truly believe that creation groans now louder than ever before, will we be ready? “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)

Yes all of God’s children will eventually be presented blameless on the other side, but we must sit up and take note of the signs, the warnings we must be on the lookout for and in the context of what is now beginning to unfold like never before; “There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. (Luke 21:11-13)

Stephen was the first of the martyrs but many have followed in his footsteps, maybe we have also been born for the exact same purpose, and then again maybe not! Whatever our outcome, we have been afforded the opportunity to pledge our allegiance to our King, regardless of the outcome here on earth, we all (those who have received His Spirit) have an opportunity to glorify His name, may God give us the grace and the wherewithal to stand for Him in these now difficult times ahead. The throne of grace is available for all His children, but we are taught that we must approach it with boldness, so that we may overcome when challenged. May we remember to do exactly that!

Signing off

Tyrone

we know that God has promised that He will not destroy the earth again with water.

Call unto Me!

(Jeremiah 33:3) “Call unto me, and I will answer thee...”

Calling out for help is something we do instinctively when threatened. So long as we believe we will be heard. I recollect two separate incidences that caused me to call out for help which I would like to explore further.

I had a flat battery and needed to get the Toyota starter, however it was parked under the carport and as the battery was unreachable with started cables I would need to push it out into the open, so that I could easily connect the jumper cables from the one car to the other. First of all I decided that I would bring around my father’s Mercedes. I parked the car in the place I had mentally measured out so that I wouldn’t have to move it again, I then strolled over to the Prado (heavy big 4x4) and as I was alone I needed to be outside the vehicle to get the momentum going, down the ridge and out of the carport, I could not open the door and jump into the car as it was already on the move because of the carport poles, if I had tried to do that I would have damaged the driver side door. Instead I decided to run to the back of the vehicle and then stop it; little did I know that it would be impossible. The 4x4 was now rolling backwards with me behind it and heading on a collision course with the Mercedes. What was I to do? Instinctively without any further thought as misfortune had surrounded me of late, I decided to use my leg as a cushion to stop any damage being done to the Mercedes. Yes, I agree in hindsight that was not very well thought through! With my leg now trapped the pressure was immense and it felt as if my femur would explode under the force. I knew there were people around and so I began to yell out for help. It was a call that had urgency to it! The pitch was a different to a normal cry. Those who heard me arrived at the scene wanting to help, no matter how hard I tried pushing to get my leg free, all my attempts were in vain. The domestic helper arrived with the gardener and I instructed them to get in the vehicle and drive the car forward relieving the pressure from my leg, but neither could drive. The panic in my eye caused them also to panic. Eventually with all of us behind the vehicle we managed to conjure up enough strength between us to get my leg free.

I had called out instinctively looking for someone to come to my aid, I had excepted help as I knew there was help around and I received what I had expected. I never doubted! I called out to those I knew were around and they answered me. I am sure we all can relate to those who have come to our aid in times of trouble.

The second account was somewhat different as I was alone and the only one I could rely on was God as He alone had the power to save. We do not reason correctly if we think we have the power to stand on the help of others to the exclusion of God. He holds the power to all things in the palm of His hand. Nothing can be done without His knowledge. He knows all things and everything is subject to His dominion and rule. But because we are human we sometimes reason as simple men.

I was young and in Zimbabwe and with a group of friends as we had decided to “cowboy up” and try a new adventure, “White River Rafting”. These attempts had claimed the lives of many adventurers, although supervision was supplied prior to our departure an indemnity form needed to be signed by all looking to accomplish this feat. The Zambezi River had many a brutal rapid that were very unforgiving. I recollect the episode as if it was yesterday. They spilt us into groups of eight, and as I was a photographer and had seen many photographers standing on the river’s edge taking photographs I decided to strap an underwater camera to my chest. I wanted to achieve a different feel to my pictures. We were all allocated one river guide per boat, I ended up with a guide that went by the nickname John the Baptist, and I should have known that this was going to be a hairy experience. They took us through some safety drills at the top of the first rapid; they called her “Morning Glory”. One of the instructions were if a man went overboard he was to relax and pull his legs up into his chest, the reason for this was so that it would be harder for the river to trap you under a rock. After the brief explanation on what we were to do if we found ourselves in the water, we were off, but as we approached the very first rapid we got it wrong and came in backwards, I was sitting at the back but now because of our rotation I was in the front and without holding on as that was the mucho things to do (ridiculous), I got sucked off the back of the rubber-duck and into the water. Remembering the instruction to relax and pull my legs up into my chest, I attempted to do exactly that. But to no avail! The harder I tried to pull my legs up the more impossible it became, I was now underwater and my life vest seemed to be useless as it did not keep me afloat. I remember remaining calm, the pressure below the surface was fierce as air eluded my lungs, about halfway down I remember breaching the surface for just a moment and I managed to get half a breathe and under again I went. I began to believe that I was not going to make it, so I began to frantically pray, I could call out to no one but the only one who had the power to save. My concern at this point was not whether or not I would survive the ordeal; I rather became frenetically concerned about the life hereafter. I began to ask for forgiveness on how I had conducted my life over the last couple of months. I was deeply concerned about eternity and were I would end up. Life as a man no longer had any bearing on my will to live, it had moved from my existence here on earth to where I would end up in eternity. I remember my panic moving from absolute desperation to a calming peace replacing my initial panic. I thought that was it, my life was now over and as I began to resign myself to death, God decided that it was not yet time for me and the river spat me out and I surfaced.

I never for one minute considered calling out to anybody else but God for help, who else was there? My surrounding was similar in that both incidences I needed help. In the first account I called out to humans for help, but in the second account I was forced to call out to God as He alone was able to save me. The error we make in our lives is when we reason as I reasoned, we think that something’s are fitting for God to help us with, while other things are more self-governing and we can handle them on our own. We must learn to become solely dependent upon God, His grace and His mercy. In all things we must give thanks, we must make it our goal to; Call unto Him, and He will answer us...

Call upon me, and I will answer them. The prophet encourages us to pray unto God, but continuously in our lives. He had prayed (Jer_32:16), but he knew that he must pray again. Those that expect to receive comforts from God must continue instant in prayer. We must call upon him, and then He will answer us. Christ himself must ask and it shall be given. We must embrace God and His promises as they are given, not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage prayer.”

May we all learn to become solely dependent upon God and his promises through prayer, may we learn to trust and obey even when death is knocking on our door, what have we to fear? “If God is for us who can be against us”, but let us learn to lay down our lives through obedience unto Him who has the power and the keys to heaven as well as hell.

Signing off

Tyrone

“Thou shall love thy neighbour.”

(Matthew 5:43) “Thou shall love thy neighbour.”

On the back of yesterdays thoughts not to waste our lives, to ensure that we store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy. Our jewels will be eternal an everlasting cache, and their makeup will have everlasting properties. Even our bodies will be eternal; they will be like our great Saviours incorruptible risen body! “Our hope” is so full of merciful promises that we must be captivated by the truth of it; nothing must take more precedence in our lives than finding the will of God for it. Do not go on a witch-hunt looking for personal people to prophesy over you as if you are looking for some magical spell to motivate you in a certain direction. We must be careful of that type of application in our lives. We must test the spirits, and how would we do that? The Word of God of course! No magic formula is needed to work out God’s will for our lives, all we need do on a daily basis is seek His face, be faithful to a local body of believers, look to deny ourselves where and when the opportunity presents itself and love our neighbour as ourselves.

“Love thy neighbour.” Perhaps he rolls in riches, and thou art poor, and living in thy little cot side-by-side with his lordly mansion; thou seest every day his estates, his fine linen, and his sumptuous banquets; God has given him these gifts, covet not his wealth, and think no hard thoughts concerning him. Be content with thine own lot, if thou canst not better it, but do not look upon thy neighbour, and wish that he were as thyself. Love him, and then thou wilt not envy him.

Perhaps, on the other hand, thou art rich, and near thee reside the poor. Do not scorn to call them neighbour. Own that thou art bound to love them. The world calls them thy inferiors. In what are they inferior? They are far more thine equals than thine inferiors, for “God hath made of one blood all people that dwell upon the face of the earth.” It is thy coat which is better than theirs, but thou art by no means better than they. They are men, and what art thou more than that? Take heed that thou love thy neighbour even though he be in rags, or sunken in the depths of poverty.

But, perhaps, you say, “I cannot love my neighbours, because for all I do they return ingratitude and contempt.” So much the more room for the heroism of love. Wouldst thou be a feather-bed warrior, instead of bearing the rough fight of love? He who dares the most, shall win the most; and if rough be thy path of love, tread it boldly, still loving thy neighbours through thick and thin. Heap coals of fire on their heads, and if they be hard to please, seek not to please them, but to please thy Master; and remember if they spurn thy love, thy Master hath not spurned it, and thy deed is as acceptable to him as if it had been acceptable to them. Love thy neighbour, for in so doing thou art following the footsteps of Christ.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Over the last 100 years the increase of earthquakes are the highest they have ever been, the word of God has warned us when we see these things on the increase, it is the warning. We commute in motor vehicles and rely on warning gauges to warn us of any potential danger, if we have an oil leak a warning light on the dashboard comes on and then will give us time to address the potential danger before it is too late, before our cars breakdown. It is exactly the same with the Word of God, it is full of warning gauges, but will we sit up and take note? I trust we will!

Here is one of those warnings; “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:7-8)

You may say earthquakes have always been around, and you would be correct, but never to the degree have they now occurred! You may be young and say to yourself I have many years in which to love my neighbour, the end may be sooner than you think. We must stop wasting time and seek earnestly to glorify God with our lives, regardless of what we have done in the past. Today is the day of salvation, may we live as if it was our last day for our King here on earth. Let us not look for secret missions but rather let us live life as Christ has commanded us to live, “Thou shall love thy neighbour.”

Signing off

Tyrone