What will you choose?

Over the last few days I've been studying what the bible says about hell. I know that this might seem a strange thing for me to do, however, I do believe as Christians we need to know what Christ has saved us from.
I prepared a bible study on the subject of hell, and at the end of the study we all decided that it was worth while doing, as we looked at what we were originally heading for. We were all so thankful and so blessed that the condemnation that we were all heading for - was no longer there! 
I know this is really obvious, however, we need to know that we are SAVED! That's not just saved from death - but it's saved from the torment and torture of Hell! 
We never ever think of hell because let's face it, it's not a nice thing to think of. However, we need to face facts - it's real and we need to get excited about the fact that as Christians we have eternal life.
There is something else that we need to think about that is really important. Even though we should praise God every day for what He has done for us through the cross, and for the gift of our salvation, there are those that don't know Jesus and so don't have the same assurance that as Christian's we have. They are heading for a lost eternity. This doesn't mean that they are going to spend eternity in a warm place, as so often people joke - but it does mean that they will spend eternity tormented, separated from God, in flames that never burn out. The bible is clear about what happens to those who don't know Jesus as Lord. 
If you are reading this blog, and don't know Jesus this is your chance to change your destiny. Jesus died for you and for me, and so I can promise you that once you ask Jesus to be your Saviour, your life will NEVER be the same again. You will be a complete person, a person that is part of God's family, not forgetting the fact that you will be forgiven, and on the road to eternal life with Him. 
Hell is real, but praise God so is Heaven. What are you going to choose today? Jesus and life in all it's fullness? The way of the world; the easy option and life with nothing to look forward to but a tormented eternity without God? It's your choice.

Build the Kingdom

Today at holiday club we were thinking about the Great Commission. This passage of scripture is in the last chapter of Matthew. Jesus tells His disciples to go and make disciples of all men, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I told the children that if the disciples had ignored this command then I wouldn't know about God and so probably wouldn't be a Christian.
This got some of the children thinking; if it wasn't for the obedience of these first disciples of Jesus then there would be no Kidzone, no holiday club, no church, no Christians! 
What an amazing thought. I know its an obvious thing, but its so often the obvious things that we miss!
I praise God for the obedience of these first disciples as without them sharing the gospel and the good news of Jesus, I would not be the person I am today.
So what about us? This wasn't just a command for them at that time, it's a command that we too go and do the same. When we share our faith we make a difference for the Kingdom, we make a difference in the lives of the people that we tell.
My life was changed the day I was told about Jesus, so who's life am I going to help change by telling about Jesus today? What about you? Are you going to tell and make a difference too? I hope so.

Fishing or Faith?

Continuing with the Holiday club theme - today we thought about Peter being forgiven by Jesus at the BBQ on the beach.
This passage is found in John 21, and the part of the story that jumped out at me was at the very start of John 21. In the previous chapter of John, Jesus has appeared to the disciples on more than one occasion, and here we find it about to happen again. Peter has decided to go fishing and after spending the night with no catch, Jesus appears and a miracle catch happens once again. 
Why did Peter go back to fishing? He'd spent the last three years of his life with Jesus. He'd seen Jesus do amazing things including healing people as well as raising them from the dead but yet he chose to go back to fishing.
To be honest I've been wondering about this all day. I've tried to put myself in Peter's shoes and the only reason I can come up with is that Peter was feeling awkward because he'd let Jesus down by saying he didn't know Him. Jesus had already appeared to Peter and the others on more than one occasion. Peter was obviously happy to see Jesus as he is the only one in the story that jumps out of the boat to go and meet Jesus on the shore.
When we do something wrong it's so easy to go back to the old ways, it's so easy to fall back into what we are used to. Peter went back to fishing because it was what he was comfortable with, it was the easy option.
The great thing about this story is that Jesus forgives Peter and before we know it Peter is standing up in front of thousands of people telling them the good news that Jesus is Lord! When we have an encounter with the Creator of the Universe, it changes us completely. Let's make sure that when we mess up we don't go back to the old ways, let's make sure that we don't go back to the comfort zone. We need to come to the cross and move on with Him. Jesus forgives us so we need to forgive ourselves and move into all that He has for us. 
Let's make sure that we don't go back to fishing, but continue to move on in Faith!

Are you a Thomas?

Today we began our Easter holiday club for children and the story today was about Thomas who doubted that Jesus was alive after His crucifixion. It's a famous story and Thomas got the nick name - Doubting Thomas.
Jesus reveals Himself to Thomas and so he believes and then Jesus says these very famous words:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29
Before starting the club today as I was reading through this passage, it really struck me how we are all in a different place even though we are all on the same journey.
Thomas, with the other disciples had seen Jesus do many miracles, had spent three years following His every word, but yet he still couldn't believe that Jesus was back from the grave. He'd seen Jesus raise both Jairus' daughter and Lazarus from the grave, but he couldn't quite get his head around Jesus being back from death.
This made me think about us today. There are many kinds of people all in different places. Some people know Jesus as Lord and Saviour; some people know only of Jesus as a swear word; some people think of Him as a story; some think of Him only as a good man that said good things. However, whoever we are, whatever part of our life journey we are on, Jesus loves us and wants to be part of our lives.
Where are you today? Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? Do you know that even if you don't believe in Him that He loves you anyway? Thomas had to see to believe and I guess most people today are of the same mindset. But let's just think of this for a moment - you can't see wind but you can feel it, you can't see air but you can breath it. Thomas only believed because he'd seen Jesus - what are you going to do today? Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you and He will. You've got nothing to loose!

The Winning team!

Well that's it! Death is defeated, the battle is won. It's Resurrection Sunday and what a great day to celebrate! 
Over 2000 years ago, the Saviour of the world conquered death and so bought us all our freedom! He died on the Friday, and by the Sunday morning He was back from the dead.
I love Easter - it always brings back to me how amazing Salvation is. Without the cross there is no Salvation, and so we must never forget what Jesus did on that first Good Friday - but equally, we also need to remember what He accomplished on that first Easter morning.
When Jesus died, he paid the penalty for our sin, when He rose to life, He defeated Satan and death itself.
Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we can live in the assurance that we are saved from sin and that death has lost its sting! We are on the winning team! 
What team are you on this Easter? Are you on the winning team? Are you the kind of person that just celebrates time off work at Easter? Do you know Jesus as your Saviour or as a swear word? Jesus wants to be part of our lives, He invites us all this Resurrection Sunday to be part of His family - do it! It's the best Easter gift you will ever get! Ask Jesus into your heart and know what Easter is all about - the joy of knowing that you're on the winning team!

The cross

We are in the middle of the weekend that changed the world. Easter is the most important celebration of the Christian calender. It's a time when we come together and remember what Jesus did for us over 2000 years ago.

I was thinking this morning though, it's not just a time for remembering although that is right to do, it should be a time of Celebration.

Jesus death wasn't the end, but the beginning. Jesus death wasn't to be mourned, but to be celebrated. People think of the cross as a symbol of death and suffering - which it was. But to me as a Christian it represents my Salvation. Without the cross then my life would be so different. Without the cross of Jesus I would be going to a lost eternity. Without the cross I would be on the path of destruction. Without the cross I would be separate from God.

Let's celebrate this Easter what Christ did for us. Yes it was the cruellest of deaths, but through His death, Jesus paid the price for ALL. We are free because of the cross, we are saved because of the cross, we are forgiven because of the cross, we have a hope and a future because of the cross. 

If you don't know what the cross is all about, and what it means to have a hope and a future, then put your trust in Jesus. He will show you what the cross is all about. Why not pick up the bible today and read about what Jesus did for us ALL. He didn't die only for those who believe in Him, He died for everyone. Make this Easter extra special this year. If you don't know who Jesus is, ask Him to reveal Himself to you and start the greatest adventure of your life. Learn about what the cross really means and make a decision to follow the one who took the punishment that we deserve - choose to follow Jesus.

Sunday's Coming!

It's Good Friday today, and I thought I'd post my thoughts. Today at church we read from Matthew his account of the trial and death of Jesus. It made me once again consider the man that was set free because of Jesus - Barabbas.
This man was all set to be punished for his crimes, and the punishment that he was facing was  death by crucifixion. 
What about us? We are also free because of the cross. Barabbas was set free not because he deserved his freedom but because Jesus took his punishment. This is the same for us all. We don't deserve God's forgiveness or His grace. We have ALL fallen short of the glory of God.
However, Good Friday is a great day for the whole of mankind -it is the day that affects the whole of eternity. Without the cross there is no Salvation. The cross of Christ is celebrated because it was the ultimate sacrifice for the whole of mankind. God taking our punishment and our sin and nailing it to the cross. We are so fortunate to be born this side of the cross. I praise God for the cross of Christ.
Let's remember what He did for us today. Let's praise God for Good Friday and remember -
SUNDAY'S COMING!

What is your heart?

I began reading Isaiah today, and to be honest I haven't read this book in a while. I was reminded of how brilliant it is.
Anyway, the verses that really spoke to me were these, "The multitude of your sacrifices - what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats."
This is a really famous verse in chapter 1, and I think its as relevant today as it was all those years ago when it was written.
What is your heart like? How do you come before the LORD? Do you come with gladness? Do you come with fear and trembling? Do you come with a humble and contrite heart? OR Do you come before the Lord of all with complacency? Do you come before the King of kings as a tradition? Do you come before the Creator of the Universe just because that's what you have always done?
We need to realise that when we come to Jesus, we are entering the presence of Almighty God. He wants our whole hearts not just a quick hello and goodbye. 
The Jewish people in this passage were just living their lives as they wanted and bringing their sacrifices with no feeling of regret or remorse, just out of tradition. God wanted their hearts, He wanted to be in their lives, not just a quick sacrifice and back to whatever.
We need to make sure that when we repent, we actually do repent. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us with our failings to ensure that we have a right heart before the Lord. Let's not be a people of tradition. Let's be people that seek the Lord and come before Him with a right heart.

Give God the Glory!

I haven't done my blogg for a few weeks and to be honest I think it's done me some good. The reason for not doing it was originally because I was unwell, and so unable to complete my daily thoughts. But as I regained my strength and started to feel better I still didn't start writing.
I felt that God was telling me that even though this is a good thing, if it becomes about doing it and not glorifying Him then it's not the right thing to do.
I want everything I do to point to Jesus. I don't want to do things because they make me feel good, or because others like it - I want to do what God has called me to do. 
I decided today to write something about this instead of writing about my bible study. It's not about what we do - it's about the heart we have when we do it. I will continue to do my blogg, but I really feel that it has to be about glorifying Jesus and not just about completing another thought process.
Everything we do as Christians MUST be about Him. It's not what we want, what we think or even what we think might be the right thing to do - it's about listening to the Holy Spirit and asking Him to guide us, to strengthen us, and to make our lives about Glorifying the one who was and is and is to come.
Let's make sure that we glorify Jesus today, let's not do things because of the feel good factor or because we've always done it. Let's live lives that make a difference and give the glory to the Name above all other names - Jesus.
Lord use me today for your glory - help me be an asset to your team. 
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven - Matthew 5:16

Who do you Glorify?

Who do you give the glory to? On reading Genesis 40 today that was the question that came to mind. This is once again a famous story of Joseph in prison. He interprets some dreams that some other inmates have and the interpretations come true.

The reason I start today with a question is because of verse 8, "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." In this one verse Joseph is telling them who he serves and who will interpret their dreams.
Joseph knew that he could do it, he knew that as soon as they told him what the dreams were God would tell him what they meant. However, he gave God the glory before he even did it. He told them that it is God and God alone that can tell the meaning of dreams.

How often do we give God the glory for the things He does through us? How often do we give God the glory before we've even done a thing? When we do something good do we say...Well I worked really hard and it paid off or it was all my own idea!

When we do things for God, we need to give Him the glory. When we do anything we should give God the glory. It's not about what we can or cannot do, it's about our Father in Heaven who works through us for the glory of His Kingdom!
I know that most of the time I will say it's not me it's God, but I also know there are times when I take the credit and the credit is all His! Without God we are nothing, so let's make sure today that we give Him the glory for what we do.

Be a blessing!

So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food that he ate.
This short passage comes from Genesis 39. Joseph is a servant in the house of an Egyptian official called Potiphar. In this verse we see that Joseph is put in charge of everything that Potiphar owns. Potiphar trusts Joseph completely and worries for nothing except his food. What a great trust to put on someone else. Why did Potiphar trust this Israelite slave so much? What made Joseph stand out from the rest of his servants? What made Joseph different?
The answer is simple - God. Joseph was blessed by God in everything he did, from the small things to the large things. Joseph trusted and loved God in such a way that God poured out blessings on Potiphar because Joseph worked in his household.
Are we the same in our place of work? Are we the same in the school yard? Are we the same when we go shopping? It says in this chapter, when his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant.
Joseph got a promotion because of the favour of God. I'm not saying that when we are close to God everything will be all rosy - but what I am saying is that we are blessed to be a blessing. Let's remember that today. Wherever we go or whoever we meet - we are blessed to be a blessing. We are privileged! We are saved! We know the truth! We know the creator of the universe! Let's show others how privileged we are and share the blessing that we have.

Dare to be different!

Genesis 37 is probably one of the most famous passages in the Old Testament. It recalls the story of Joseph telling his brothers about some dreams that he's had. His brothers are not too keen on Joseph and so he ends up being sold as a slave to some Ishmaelites.
The story of Joseph's life is so famous that there is even a musical about it. But sometimes we can be so familiar with something that it looses its meaning.
Yes Joseph was a show off, yes he was probably really annoying - but- he was God's chosen. God saw something in Joseph that his family didn't see. He was different - which was something his brothers could see, but they didn't like it.
Sometimes people don't like what they see in us. It's not because we are weird or different, its because we make them feel uneasy. We should be in the world not of the world and so we are meant to be different.
This doesn't mean that we should stand out like a sore thumb, or annoy people so much that they don't want to be in the same room as us. But it does mean that they should see something different about us.
Do we stand out in the crowd? Do we act differently to others? Do we show others that we have something special?
We don't want to be thrown into a pit for being annoying, but we should show others that we are different because we have a Saviour who wants to be their Saviour too!

Number 1

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone"

This passage of scripture is found in Genesis 35. Jacob has returned to the land his family is from and has now gone to Bethel where God appeared to him previously.

It amazed me to think that Jacob's household had foreign gods to get rid of. I have read this passage before and not really taken any notice of this, but you would've thought that a home that served and worshipped God wouldn't have any idols to get rid of. 

This got me thinking about our worship. Do we come before the Lord purified? Do we enter His presence knowing that we serve another god? I don't mean that we have a house full of statues that we bow down to in secret, but I do mean that the things that consume our lives can so often get in the way of our worship to God. 

Our God is an awesome god. He is the creator of the universe. He is also a jealous god and so therefore we should serve Him and Him alone. When we come before Him, whether in church, prayer or in service, we need to make sure that He is the only god in our lives. We need to get rid of all the stuff that might take us into idolatry. This could be anything from family, finance, work, shopping, television, reading whatever our lives revolve around if we put God in second or third place then we are worshipping other things.

Let's purify ourselves today and get rid of the idols in our lives. Let's make God number 1

Humble Pie!

In Chapters 31 & 32 of Genesis, Jacob returns to his homeland with his family and his possessions. He is worried about meeting Esau as the last time they met, things were not rosy between them. In fact the last time they saw one another it was just after Jacob had stolen his brother's birth right and legged it to his uncle's house.
God had made promises to Jacob, God had blessed Jacob, however Jacob was still worried about Esau. He didn't want to get on the wrong side of him again, and so he sent gifts to him. He wanted to appease his brother; in fact he bows down before his brother and humbles himself.
How often do we do something that seems a good idea when we are doing it, but then when we have to face up to the consequences it doesn't seem so great?
Sometimes we need to humble ourselves and just admit we got it wrong, or even just let matters go so that we can get on with the job at hand. I know from personal experience that I often get things wrong. Then I have to get to that place where I can admit my mistake and move out of it. Humbling ourselves before others is not easy, humbling ourselves before God isn't always easy either. We need to make sure that we are humble enough to know when we are wrong so that we can grow in the way that God wants us to.

God's way not man's way!

In Genesis 31 we find Jacob running away from Laban with his wives, his children and his flocks in tow. He has decided that its time to go back home to his family. He has worked for Laban for 20 years and feels that Laban hasn't paid him right. Laban hasn't behaved towards Jacob in an honouring way, but God sees the work of Jacobs hands and blesses him with more than he could imagine.
How often do we feel put upon? How often do we feel that the person or people we work for don't recognise the job we are doing? How often do we feel like saying, "I've had enough, I'm off!" I'm sure that we can all say that at some point in our working lives - I know that I have.
Like I said yesterday, we should have such a good work ethic no matter how we are treated by those we work for. Jesus is glorified through our actions. The good news is this - when we do God's will, he will bless us. 
Why do we constantly look for man's approval when God looks at us and says - Great job!Why do we worry about what people think? We should only worry about what the Master thinks. Let's not look for the approval of others, let's not worry about the way people see us, let's just make sure that whatever we do is done to point to heaven. 

Workers or Shirkers?

But Laban said to him, "If I have found favour in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you." He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them."
This passage is found in Genesis 30. Jacob has been working for his uncle for a long time and he wants to take his family and make a home for himself. Jacob has worked hard and Laban doesn't want him to go. Laban has also noticed that since Jacob has worked for him, he too has been blessed by God.
When we work for God others notice. They see a difference in us. We should be the kind of people that work hard even if our work benefits others instead of ourselves. I'm not saying that we should be putting work first, but I am saying that we as Christians should have such a good work ethic that it shows others who we are in Christ.
Are we workers or are we shirkers? How are we going to show Christ in our workplace today? We are blessed to be a blessing, so let's share our blessing with the work of our hands today.

God does Exist!

I saw this on Facebook and decided to post this as my blog today instead of my thoughts on Genesis. 
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Be Blessed!

I haven't written my blog for a few days now, its amazing how when you are busy its so easy to get out of the habit of doing something - even something that you enjoy! 
Anyway, back to Genesis. In chapter 29 we find Isaac blessing Jacob and sending him to find a wife. This got me thinking - how often do we bless others? How often do we send our children out with a blessing?
We are blessed to be a blessing, so why not share it? We need to be a blessing to others, and they need to be a blessing to those they meet. I'm not going to go on and on about this today, I just want to think about how much of a blessing am I? Do I show others the love of Jesus in everything I say and do? Probably not! Well if not why not? I need in fact we all need to look to Him and make sure that everything we do blesses and shows the love of Jesus to the world outside. We can't stay in our holy huddles and expect to make a difference in the world - we need to get out and share the blessings that we have with everyone else - and that means we leave the building!

What do they see?

"We saw clearly that the LORD was with you" This verse is found in Genesis 26, and is part of a conversation between Abimelek and Isaac.
God has made Isaac very wealthy, and has blessed him in every way. Abimelek sees this and decides to go and see Isaac so that he can make peace with him.
When we walk closely with the Lord others notice. They see our attitude, our behaviour and our reactions. We should be different, we should lead others to Christ with our words and with our actions.
Abimelek was afraid of Isaac because he knew that God was with him. I'm not saying that people should fear us, but they should see a difference in us that makes them think. When was the last time someone asked you about your faith? When was the last time someone apologise to you for swearing in front of you? When was the last time that someone said, "There's something different about you - what is it?"
We need to make sue that the world sees that we are not of the world. We need to make sure that when the world sees us, they really see Jesus.

Look UP!

In the next few chapters of Genesis I believe there is a theme of trust. In chapter 22, Abraham is tested by being told to sacrifice his son, in chapter 24 Abraham asks his servant to go and get a wife for Isaac from his own people, and in chapter 25 after the death of Abraham, Isaac prays to God for his wife who cannot have children.
In life we all go through tough times, whether it be family issues, financial problems or even health issues. But we can learn a lot from these few chapters of Genesis. In all of these situations, God was consulted. 
Abraham trusted God so much that he was willing to kill his own son knowing that God would sort things out; Abraham's servant was unsure about the task of finding Isaac a wife, and so he prayed that God would find the right woman for him to approach and so God sorted that too; Isaac's wife was unable to have children, so Isaac prayed and then Rebekah became pregnant with twins - the Lord provided more than was asked for.
When we are going through difficult situations, we need to stop looking at the floor and look UP. Where does my help come from? FROM THE LORD! We need to turn to Jesus, we need to trust in Him, we need to understand that God is with us, all we have to ask.

Perfect timing!

Genesis 21 starts with these verses, The Lord was good to Sarah and kept His promise. Although Abraham was very old, Sarah had a son exactly at the tome God had said. God had made a promise to Abraham that he would have a son by Sarah, and he did! But the part of this story I think is brilliant is that Sarah had a son exactly at the time God had said, God was spot on for timing.
We often want things now, or we pray that God will sort out this and that and want Him to do what we ask instantly. We live in a world of instant! We drink instant coffee, use instant tea bags, we shop and pay on a card so that we can have the item now, we don't want to wait for anything! God's timing is spot on. If He says He'll so something then He will do it, maybe not in the way we think, ro at the time we think, but nevertheless, He will still do it!
We need to realise that God's timing is perfect and that no matter what else is going on around, He knows exactly what He's doing.
Let's make sure that we fully understand this truth and fully rely on God today. he won't let us down, He knows what He's doing - He's God not us!

Looking back...

Genesis 19 is the story of the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. Once again God is not happy with the way people are living, so He has to sort it out. These cities are doing such bad things that God has lost His patience with them. However, He remembers Abraham, and so saves his nephew Lot and his family. On leaving, Lot and his family are told to go quickly and not look back. The problem occurs when Lot's wife looks back and she is turned into a pillar of salt.
How often do we look back? I'm not saying that looking back and reminiscing is bad, but if we are constantly living in the past or on past experiences then that is not living in the fullness of God.
It's great to talk about things that have happened in the past with family and friends, we all enjoy recalling things that have happened in our past, but this is not what I'm talking about. I believe if we have past hurt, or problems that we hold onto then that will stop us from living in the blessings of God.
Jesus came to the world so that we could have life in all its fullness, so if we are living in the past then that is not living life to the full. I know that some people have had terrible things happen in their past and so it would be difficult to let them go. The good news is this - with Jesus in your life then you can receive healing from a broken past.
If you are reading this today, and you have got things in your past that you still haven't dealt with, stop looking over your shoulder and give them to Jesus. He will heal, restore and allow you to move into a life full of peace, love and newness of life. Do it today - you'll never look back again!

If there are 10?

In chapter 18 of Genesis we find Abraham pleading with God to save the evil city of Sodom. This place was so bad that God had decided to get rid, but Abraham chose to stand in the gap. He pleads with God asking if God found 10 good people would He not destroy the city? God agrees that if 10 good people are found then the city would remain.
What a great story. This shows me that there is always a last chance with God. He was more than within His rights to destroy the city, but He chose to listen to Abraham and think about it before He actually did it. We will read tomorrow that in fact God didn't find anyone in the city to save, so Abraham's plea was in vain, but at least he tried!
How often do we find ourselves not praying for someone because we think they are a lost cause? How often do we not pray because we don't think God will do anything with our prayer? We need to make sure that we stand in the gap no matter what the outcome. We need to make sure that we get on our knees even though we don't really know if God will do what we ask. It's not our job to answer the prayer, its our job to pray them. Let's make sure that we stand in the gap today for someone - who knows what God will do? I know one thing for sure - if we don't pray who will?

Age doesn't matter!

As I began reading Genesis 17, it struck me that Abram at that time was 99 years old. Even in those days that was classed as OLD! However, this did not stop God making His covenant with him. God didn't look at Abram's age, He just looked at Abram's heart.
I think this is so important for us today. We so often forget about the children because we think they are too young, and we forget about our older and wiser members of our churches thinking they are too old!
This is not Kingdom building, this is not how God sees things. He calls us all young and old and everything in between to "Make disciples of all nations" It doesn't say in scripture that we only do this if we are between the ages of 18 and 65! It is a command to all of us.
We need to make sure that our children and young people have the tools to go and do, whilst we also allow our older saints to full-fill their calling too. They have been on the planet longer than us, so we need to honour them and look to them for wisdom and discernment. 
Let's make sure that we don't stop anyone from moving in their gifting. Let's equip those that need equipping and encourage those that need encouraging. God never stops anyone from doing Kingdom work - let's make sure we don't either!

What are your desires - are they Gods?

Today's reading comes from Genesis 16, and is the story of Abram and Hagai. God has already promised Abram that he will be the 'Father of Nations' BUT Sarai, his wife is in a hurry. She still has no children and so she tells Abram to take her servant girl to be his wife. Abram does as Sarai asks and so Hagai becomes pregnant with Abram's son.
How often does God say something to us and someone else will take that dream away? I know personally I've had this happen. When God says He will do something then we can stand on that promise! God will ALWAYS come through. In this passage Sarai got impatient and so wanted to move things along in her way and not in God's way.
A few years ago I really felt the Lord tell me about a bus ministry that He wanted me to start. Here I am years later and there is still no bus ministry. Now that could be because God's timing is not my timing, or it could be because someone laughed at me when I told them about it and so I got disheartened, or it could be a combination of the two. All I do know is that I have to trust in the Lord that His timing is perfect and that if He wants this to happen then it will.
If you are in a situation where God had told you something, then hold onto it; don't be disheartened when others laugh; don't loose the dream; pray into it and even get others to pray into it. God gives us the desires of our heart - that doesn't mean that He gives us what we want - it does mean that He gives His desires to us and puts them in our hearts. For me this means that God put that bus ministry in my heart, and so if that is the case then its still in the offering! 
What are the desires of your heart? What are Gods desires for you? Do they match up? Pray about it - who knows what you'll find.

God of the impossible!

On reading today's passage from Genesis 15, it's amazing to think that even though we let God down, He is still true to His word.
If we think about this story, it's the story of God revealing His covenant with Abram. In my previous blogg Abram hadn't really done the right thing, but like I said last time, we all make mistakes and God still forgives us.
We need to come to a realisation that when God tells us something then He will bring it into being - even if it seems impossible to us. Abram was promised that he would have offspring as countless as the stars. At this point in his life he didn't have any children and both he and his wife were ageing. God had promised what seemed to be the impossible, but for God nothing is impossible.
When we know this truth for ourselves it will set us free. So often we are worried about this and that and don't believe in our hearts that the situation can be changed. Our God is a  God of the impossible, our God is a God that can do more than we can ask or imagine, our God is the creator of the Universe. Let's put our trust in Him today and know that He will bring His plans and His purposes into fruition.

Mistakes - we all make them!

In Genesis 12 we find the start of Abram's journey to Canaan. God tells him to leave his father's household and go to the land of Canaan and Abram obeys without question. The problem with this story for me comes after this. Famine comes over the land and so Abram and his wife end up taking a detour to Egypt. Abram is afraid that Pharaoh will take his wife Sarai and kill him and so Abram comes up with a plan. He tells Sarai to lie and say that they are brother and sister, and that way they would both be safe.
This is obviously a lie, however, when Pharaoh finds out he is not too impressed with Abram, however he doesn't kill him but does ask him to take his wife and leave.
It's amazing to think that this man that God chooses to bless still makes mistakes. He tells a lie to save himself. We all make mistakes, we all do things that are not right, but no matter what, we have a God that loves us. God still blessed Abram, He kept His word and blessed the offspring of Abram because He'd made His covenant with Him. Abram wasn't perfect, but God looked beyond that and blessed him anyway.
I praise God that He sees beyond my weaknesses, beyond my mistakes. He loves me no matter what. That's not to say that He agrees with the things I do wrong, but He still loves me mistakes and all! He loves us all no matter what.

GOD LOVES YOU & ME SO MUCH THAT HE SENT HIS SON TO DIE!

The place of Blessing!

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

This passage is found in Genesis 11 and to be honest even though I've read it many times before I didn't see this as important before today. I knew that Abram's family left Ur to go to Canaan, however I hadn't thought before that he and his family settled somewhere else first. In fact it was Abram's father that moved the family towards Canaan, but it was Abram that actually got there.
I think this story is really important to our lives today. We so often head off in the direction God wants us to go and end up settling in the comfort zone. It is so easy in our Christian walks to get complacent, to allow the comfortableness to keep us where we are, or living the way we live, or even doing what we are doing when God actually wants us to move into the land of blessing. Terah knew that Canaan was the direction to head for, he must have done, but he got to Harran and stayed put instead of moving to where God wanted the family to go. It was in fact Abram that took the move further, it was Abram that left Harran and moved to Canaan into the land of blessing and it is through Abram that God makes the covenant.
When we choose to follow God's lead and move into the place of promise, then that will be the place of blessing. We need to make sure that we don't settle for second best, just because its comfortable doesn't mean that it's the place that God wants us to be in. We need to make sure that we move with God and not stay still in the places that man puts us.

God's promise

After the flood, and the earth is dry again, God allows Noah and his family out of the ark. They are the only people left and God makes a covenant with them. God promises that He will never ever flood the world again and as a reminder of that promise God places a rainbow in the sky.
I saw a rainbow this morning on my way into work, which seems really apt especially on reading chapters 8 & 9 of Genesis this morning. I love rainbows. Not just because they look nice, but because I always feel God is showing me that He's there, that He'll never leave me, that I can trust in Him to have my back. 
God made this promise to Noah, but I believe that we can rely on that promise today. We can rely on all the promises of God today. God's word is final, and so when I see the rainbow, I know that God is showing me that He is still in control and that His word is His bond. 
Rely on the promises of God today. Man may let you down, family and friends may let you down, even the church may let you down - but God won't. He keeps His promises and always will!

The Power of God!

Genesis chapters 6 & 7 tell the story of the flood. This is probably one of the most famous of the OT bible stories as children learn this story from an early age.
On reading these two chapters again, I realise how fortunate we are. God was so fed up with mankind that He decided enough was enough, and so He wiped out most of humanity. I look at the world today, and I can pretty much guarantee that the world is in the same place now as it was then, if not worst. We live in a society that doesn't care, we live in a world that is power crazy, where the human race thinks about itself - the power of ME!
We can thank God that He allows us to continue, when He could very easily choose to make everything stop. We need to realise that our God is the very same God in the bible that sent the flood, that wiped out the people that were not living in a manner that was honouring to Him. We should be thankful that God gives us a second chance, third chance etc...I praise God that He forgives me when I mess up and is so patient with me to allow me to continue to try. He hasn't given up on me yet, so I need to do everything I can to glorify Him.

Live for God!

Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
This verse is hidden amongst the other verses in Genesis 5 which tell us about the lives of Adams family. I think its a great verse and an important one. Enoch was so faithful to God that he never died. In all the other accounts of the family of Adam, they lived so many years and then it says they died. In the case of Enoch this is not the case.
I wonder what does it mean to walk faithfully with God? Personally I think it means that Enoch just lived to please God. He wasn't worried about what the world thought, he wanted only to please his Heavenly Father.
I think this is something that we should all want to strive to do. I know that is what I would like to live like. However, this is not always the case. In fact I can honestly say that even though this is what I want, I often do what I want instead of what God wants.
If we choose to live for God, if we choose to honour Him then this is the kind of life we should live. Let's choose to imitate Enoch and walk faithfully with God, or even better, let's choose to imitate Jesus and live for God!

I want - its not fair!

I want what he has! This is how I would sum up Genesis chapter 4. Cain is jealous of his brother Abel, in fact he is so jealous of him that he gets rid of him, he commits the first murder. He's not jealous of what Abel has though, he is jealous that God accepts Able's gift and not his. The reason for this problem is that Cain decides not to give God his best, unlike his brother Abel who gives God the best of what he has. God wasn't pleased with Cain and so Cain takes this out on his brother. It's not Abel's fault! It's Cain's fault that God is not happy with him.
So often in life we look at our lot and think that we are hard done by. Just because someone else has more, or is different or has a bigger house or better job we get all out of shape about it. We need to remember that no matter what our situation or what we have, we are still fortunate to have a Saviour that loves us in spite of everything. We are blessed to be a blessing, so therefore we should always give our best to God and not worry about it being any less than anyone else. As long as we have done our best for God, He will never ask more of us.

The blame game

Genesis 3 is the fall of man. It retells the story of how we came to be in the mess we're in by disobeying God and putting ourselves first.The way we behave is still the same. We are selfish by nature and that is because of what happened in the garden all those years ago. 
Looking at the story closer we can see that there is something else happening too - the Blame game! After Satan tricks the woman into wanting to eat the fruit and then the man eats it too, God comes along and asks them what have they done? They don't deny what they've done, but they do blame one another! Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the snake.
We are still like this today - no change! When we do something stupid we always have an answer, we even try and blame someone else. I'm not saying that sometimes its not someone else's fault, however, we have a mind of our own and a will of our own and so with that in mind we have to make a choice whether we follow someone else or whether we choose to do the right thing.
Eve was deceived by the snake, Adam copied Eve. I've often wondered what would have happened if Adam had said no? What about us? We have freewill, we have a Saviour that died for us for us to pay the price for sin. We need to choose to do the will of God and not our own deceptive will. Are we going to play the blame game or are we going to choose freedom in Christ? Its a big question, but a question that could change eternity for each of us. 

Every breath you take!

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis chapter 2 continues the story of creation. This verse is how God created man - He breathed into him and he became a living being. I love this - God breathed the breath of life into man and man lived! Let's think about this a little more. God's breath is the breath of life, and its that breath that enables us to live. Without the breath of God we would be lifeless, but with the breath of God we live. This goes for everyone on the planet, whether they believe in Him or not. How amazing is that? Even those that don't believe in God have the breath of God keeping them alive! WOW!
A few years ago I was at a conference. I can still remember something that one of the speakers said and it was about the breath of God. The speaker said that when God breathed into the man He spoke His name or the sound of His name - Yahweh. If this is the case, as I believe it is, then this means that with every breath we take, with every word we speak, we say the name of God! This also means that with every breath they take and with EVERY word they speak non believers also speak the name of God, and so with that in mind they are proving the existence of God.
I love this thought. I love the fact that I say the name of God every time I open my mouth to breath or speak. 
If you don't believe in the creator of everything, and you are reading this - your breath believes in Him, even your words believe in Him, as every time you speak you utter the name of God. Make a real difference to your life at the start of 2012 - believe in the one that created you, make the greatest decision you will ever make at the start of this year and accept Jesus into your life. After all, He is your every breath!

It was good!

Well the start of the year brings the start of the Bible, and the beginning of time itself. What a great chapter Genesis 1 is. It tells us exactly how God created the world and everything in it.
What an amazing God, what a creative God I serve.
I guess the thing that always strikes me as strange is many Christians don't actually believe the first chapter of the book! What is that about? I believe that if you don't believe the first chapter, then how can you believe the rest? By disputing one part of God's word you are in fact putting the rest into disrepute too!
Then there are others that think its not important how the earth was created and that the facts in this chapter are not worth arguing about. If it's not important then why is it in the book? As far as I'm concerned, if God said He created the world in 6 days then that is good enough for me. If God had made the earth in 1 day then I'd accept that too, as my God can do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or think - He can do all things - nothing is impossible for my God.
With this in mind, at the very start of 2012, lets put our faith in the God of the impossible. Let's allow Him to be glorified by allowing Him to work through us. Put your trust in Him - it will be a roller coaster of a ride - but a good one!