Clean Water

Dec 14, 2022KennethLeave a comment

John 7 New International Version

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”^[c] ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

I suppose you as well as myself will have noticed the number of appeals that went out from different charities over the Christmas period for different things.

The other night I seen this appeal on TV for clean water and it showed the difference it could make to the lives of those in poor countries

The thing that has really stuck in my mind about this advert is the joy on some of the children’s faces when they were drinking ‘Clean tap water’ for the first time

Verse 1
Life is a journey; long is the road,
And when the noontide is high
Souls that are weary faint ‘neath their load,
Long for the waters, and cry:

Chorus
The well is deep and I require
A draught of the water of life,
But none can quench my soul’s desire
For a draught Or the water of life;
Till one draws near who the cry will heed,
Helper of men in their time of need,
And I, believing, find indeed
That Christ is the water of life.

Verse 2
Life is a seeking, life is a quest,
Eager and longing desire;
Unto the true things, unto the best,
Godward our spirits aspire.

Verse 3
Life is a finding; vain wand’rings cease
When from the Saviour we claim
All we have longed for, solace and peace,
And we have life in his name.

Showing Mercy

Dec 14, 2022Dec 13, 2022KennethLeave a comment

Proverbs 19:17 The Message

¹⁷Mercy to the needy is a loan to God,
and God pays back those loans in full.

When I look a the meaning behind this proverb I realise what a powerful statement it is.

In order to become true Christians we do need to show mercy on the poor, and God will pay us back in full

There are many ways that we can do this, we can attend to the needs of the poor in countries not so well off as our own.

Many Cities and large towns will have soup runs run by some sort of organisation for the down and outs in our towns and cities.

Also for those families who can’t afford to go to the big supermarkets many churches or organisations run ‘Food banks’ for those on a low income

We mustn’t forget the money that gets raised by the various churches and organisations to be distributed both in the UK and overseas.

On the lead up to Christmas some churches have a shoe box appeal for the less fortunate children overseas who wouldn’t normally be recieving a Christmas present

Following the Lord

Jul 10, 2022Jul 9, 2022Kenneth1 Comment

Luke 18 New International Version

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

¹⁸A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’^[a]”

²¹“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²³When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. ²⁴Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

²⁸Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

²⁹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Satisfying the Poor

Jun 16, 2022Kenneth1 Comment

Psalm 22 New International Version

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
²My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.^[b]

³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.^[c]
⁴In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

⁹Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

¹¹Do not be far from me, Image result for Satisfying the poor
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

¹²Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
¹⁵My mouth^[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce^[e] my hands and my feet.
¹⁷All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

¹⁹But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
²⁰Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²²I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you^[f] I will fulfill my vows.
²⁶The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
²⁸for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

Standing, Knocking, Pleading

Jan 13, 2022Kenneth3 Comments

Revelation 3 New International Version

To the Church in Laodicea

¹⁴“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Verse 20 of the above reading connects with the following hymn;

O Jesus, thou art standing,
outside the fast closed door,
in lowly patience waiting
to pass the threshold o’er:
shame on us, Christian brothers,
his Name and sign who bear,
O shame, thrice shame upon us,
to keep him standing there!

O Jesus, thou art knocking;
and lo, that hand is scarred,
and thorns thy brow encircle,
and tears thy face have marred:
O love that passeth knowledge,
so patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal,
so fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus, thou art pleading
in accents meek and low,
“I died for you, my children,
and will you treat me so?”
O Lord, with shame and sorrow
we open now the door;
dear Savior, enter, enter,
and leave us never more.

Discipline

Nov 7, 2021Nov 6, 2021Kenneth1 Comment

Proverbs 29 New International Version – UK

29 Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed – without remedy.

²When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.

³A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

⁴By justice a king gives a country stability,
but those who are greedy for^[a] bribes tear it down.

⁵Those who flatter their neighbours
are spreading nets for their feet.

⁶Evildoers are snared by their own sin,
but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.

⁷The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

⁸Mockers stir up a city,
but the wise turn away anger.

⁹If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

¹⁰The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.

¹¹Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end.

¹²If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.

¹³The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will be established for ever.

¹⁵A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

¹⁶When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.

¹⁷Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.

¹⁸Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

¹⁹Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
though they understand, they will not respond.

²⁰Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.

²¹A servant pampered from youth
will turn out to be insolent.

²²An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.

²³Pride brings a person low,
but the lowly in spirit gain honour.

²⁴The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
they are put under oath and dare not testify.

²⁵Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

²⁶Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.

²⁷The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.

Unconditional Love

Mar 17, 2021Mar 16, 2021Kenneth1 Comment

1 Corinthians 13 New International Version

13 If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹²For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

1.
Though in declaring Christ to the sinner,
I may all men surpass,
If love impassioned seal not the message,
I am naught but sounding brass.

Chorus
Love suffereth patiently;
Love worketh silently;
Love seeketh not her own.
Love never faileth;
Love still prevaileth;
Lord, in me thy love enthrone!

2.
Though I have wisdom lighting all mysteries;
Though I may all things know;
Though great my faith be, removing mountains,
Without love ’tis empty show.

3.
Though I distribute all my possessions;
Though as a martyr die;
My sacrifices profit me nothing.
Unless love doth sanctify.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Come to the Cross

Mar 7, 2021Mar 6, 2021Kenneth3 Comments

Mark 10 New International Version

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

¹⁷As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother.’^[d]”

²⁰“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²²At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is^[e] to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

²⁸Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

²⁹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

When i set out to create this blog I linked the song below to the highlighted verse above and as the verse was half way through a section I did as i always do and that is to add the section. After adding I quickly discovered we had covered Mark 10 17 – 31 a few times

To thy cross I come, Lord,
There for me is room, Lord,
Poor unworthy me, even me.
Pardon every sin, Lord,
Place thy power within, Lord,
Then I from this hour will follow thee.

Treasures in Heaven

Mar 6, 2021Mar 5, 2021KennethLeave a comment