Category: Christ

Thinking of Jesus

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Philippians 2:5-11

5 In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. 
6 Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. 
7 But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. 
8And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death — death on a cross. 
9 So God raised him to the highest place. God made his name greater than every other name 
10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus — everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. 
11 And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.
The first time I sung this song I was a young teen and still ‘XX’ amount of years on the words still have that meaning and power behind them.

The River Clyde

Once a hub of Irish People

Bustling, working on the Clyde

Building ships in ageing dockyards

Lost within long ravished times

And came the gentle touch of Father

With His voice so calm and still

“Trust always the Love of My Son”

“Look always to do his will”.

Powered by Love for food and shelter

To feed displaced families

Faithful tribes of Irish workers

He called to trust with dignity

Deep within the calming waters

Comes new light which shines on man

Of a deeper profound calling

To keep the Faith and take a stand

Now with waters largely silent

Contemplation draws us near

entreating all the generations

To keep our Faith and hold it dear

Blessed Father ever hear us

Protect us just like those gone by

And like our fathers with their calling

Let us ne’er our faith deny.

Joseph McTaggart

Perfection’s Liberty

A poem on Galatians 2:16-21

Perfection’s Liberty

No law by which to measure sin,

In Christ it was dissolved!

His righteousness now mine within,

The laws demands, resolved!

For better than my death by law:

With Jesus Christ, I die;

There in the grave, no more to war,

For Christ now lives my life!

My life by faith, eyes on the Son,

He loved me, gave His all.

The Law that kills, has been undone!

And justified, I’m called!

My daily life, no longer mine,

But Christ now lives in me.

For at the cross, you’ll daily find

My life laid at His feet.

Not I who strives, not I alive,

But God alive in me!

The Law aside, for Christ provides

Perfection’s liberty!

More Than Conquerors

Romans 8 New International Version

More Than Conquerors

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I would love to read your comments on all posts, so feel free to comment.

Just where he needs me

Galatians 6 New International Version 

Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Andrew Mair a Salvationist and composer of music with The Salvation Army composed the following tune to the hymn/song “Just where he needs me”. He speaks a little about his musical background and the Salvationist musicians/composers that inspired him.

Perfect Love

1 John 4 New International Version 

God’s Love and Ours

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love that knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope, and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

Transformers

Often when I can’t get to church I watch a service online and this service always has a children’s spot.

In the last online service I watched the person doing the children’s spot spoke on ‘Transformers’ and how they could ‘change’ into something different.

We as Christians can be like the Transformers and witness to those who don’t know Christ as their Saviour with the hope and prayers that they ‘Change’ and let him into our hearts.

Perhaps you once knew him but have wandered from the path, you can always invite him back in again if you let him.

Virtual Services

St. Mary the Virgin, Eccleston. by Geoff Evans is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Whilst we were going through the Covid 19 pandemic and various lockdowns which meant churches closing doors on a Sunday. A lot of church ministers found they could still do a service virtually with the help of You Tube, Facebook or even the churches website.

I have to say that for the Churches that did it and some of which are still doing it today it was a way of extending the gospel to those that couldn’t or didn’t attend a place of worship before hand.

However since Covid 19 guidelines were lifted and Church doors were opened again, in some cases people who used to be regular ‘Church goers’ have stayed at home and watched the service online.

If you attend a small Church that did this it can affect the congregational attendance.

Don’t get me wrong i’m all for online services if you are ill or for some reason you can’t attend Church. I am also up for using it as an outreach to those that don’t know Christ as their Saviour

Guest post – The name of Jesus

At 5.15 most evenings you will find my husband and I sat watching a quiz show. One of the questions
last night was about ‘Greats’ and the clue was the ruler of Judea from 37-4BCE. I was so busy
puzzling what BCE meant I never got round to answering the questions. Thanks to google I found it
means Before Common Era. What???? Apparently BCE has now replaced BC to avoid any
reference to Christianity and, in particular, to avoid naming Christ as Lord. For me that is the last
straw. We are turning into a heathen country where we cannot mention the name of Jesus, unless
it is to take his name in vain. A day I fear I will never see, I fear my children and my grandchildren
will never see, when…


At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess him, King of glory now.
‘‘Tis the fathers pleasure we should call him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty word