Tag: God

Proclaiming the Gospel

Revelation 5 New International Version

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[a] of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign^[b] on the earth.”

¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹²In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise!”

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honour and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

¹⁴The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honours of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease—
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the pow’r of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

Someone Cares

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIVUK)

²⁸‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

Do you sometimes feel that no one truly knows you,
And that no one understands or really cares?
Through his people, God himself is close beside you,
And through them he plans to answer all your prayers.
Chorus
Someone cares, someone cares,
Someone knows your deepest need, your burden shares;
Someone cares, someone cares,
God himself will hear the whisper of your prayers.

2. Ours is not a distant God, remote, unfeeling,
Who is careless of our loneliness and pain,
Through the ministry of men he gives his healing,
In their dedicated hands brings hope again.

I was certain I had done a blog of this title in the past, but looking back I discovered I hadn’t. It’s a song that is well known is The Salvation Army, in fact it started of in one of the Army musicals “Take over Bid”.

The words by General John Gowans is as you can hear put to a simple tune written by General John Larsson. As you can see by the words it a song used in times of reflection.

This is the arrangement by Andrew Mair

Burn’s Night

I don’t usually do poems but as I live an area of Scotland that celebrated burn’s night on Monday I searched for a christian backgroud on him and this is one of the poem’s that came up.

A new Psalm for the chapel of Kilmarnock

O sing a new Song to the Lord!
Make, all and every one,
A joyful noise, even for the king
His restoration.

The sons of Belial in the land
Did set their heads together;
Come, let us sweep them off, said they,
Like an o'erflowing river.

They set their heads together, I say,
They set their heads together:
On right, and left, and every hand,
We saw none to deliver.

Thou madest strong two chosen Ones
To quell the Wicked's pride:
That Young Man, great in Issachar,
The burden-bearing Tribe.

And him, among the Princes chief
In our Jerusalem,
The judge that's mighty in thy law,
The man that fears thy name.

Yet they, even they, with all their might,
Began to faint and fail;
Even as two howling, ravening wolves
To dogs do turn their tail.

Th' Ungodly o'er the Just prevail'd,
For so thou hadst appointed;
That thou might'st greater glory give
Unto thine own Annointed.

And now thou hast restored our State,
Pity our kirk also;
For she by tribulations
Is now brought very low!

Consume that High-Place, Patronage,
From off thy holy hill;
And in thy fury burn the book
Even of that man, M'Gill.

Now hear our Prayer, accept our Song,
And fight thy Chosen's battle:
We seek but little, Lord, from thee,
Thou kens we get as little.

God’s support through our lives

Isaiah 46 New International Version

Gods of Babylon

46 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low;
    their idols are borne by beasts of burden.^[a]
The images that are carried about are burdensome,
    a burden for the weary.
²They stoop and bow down together;
    unable to rescue the burden,
    they themselves go off into captivity.

³“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
    and have carried since you were born.
⁴Even to your old age and Gray hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

⁵“With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
    To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
⁶Some pour out gold from their bags
    and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god,
    and they bow down and worship it.
⁷They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;
    they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
    From that spot it cannot move.
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;
    it cannot save them from their troubles.

⁸“Remember this, keep it in mind,
    take it to heart, you rebels.
⁹Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹From the east I summon a bird of prey;
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfil my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned, that I will do.
¹²Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted,
    you who are now far from my righteousness.
¹³I am bringing my righteousness near,
    it is not far away;
    and my salvation will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,
    my splendour to Israel.

Trusting and not Forsaking

Psalm 9 New International Version

Psalm 9

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

¹I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
²I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

³My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
⁴For you have upheld my right and my cause,
    sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
⁵You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
⁶Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;
    even the memory of them has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever;
    he has established his throne for judgement.
⁸He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
⁹The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
¹²For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

¹³Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
    Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴that I may declare your praises
    in the gates of Daughter Zion,
    and there rejoice in your salvation.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
¹⁶The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^[c]
¹⁷The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
    all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

¹⁹Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
²⁰Strike them with terror, Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortal.

Repentance of Sins

Hosea 2 New Living Translation

2 ^[a]“In that day you will call your brothers Ammi—‘My people.’ And you will call your sisters Ruhamah—‘The ones I love.’

Charges against an Unfaithful Wife

²“But now bring charges against Israel—your mother—
    for she is no longer my wife,
    and I am no longer her husband.
Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face
    and the clothing that exposes her breasts.
³Otherwise, I will strip her as naked
    as she was on the day she was born.
I will leave her to die of thirst,
    as in a dry and barren wilderness.
⁴And I will not love her children,
    for they were conceived in prostitution.
⁵Their mother is a shameless prostitute
    and became pregnant in a shameful way.
She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers
    and sell myself to them for food and water,
for clothing of wool and linen,
    and for olive oil and drinks.’

Here in Hosea 2 we are told what God will do with an unfaithful wife because of the life she chose to lead. We are all sinners until we repent and come to God.

True Friends

Proverbs 18 The Message

Words Kill, Words Give Life

18 Loners who care only for themselves
spit on the common good.

²Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;
all they do is run off at the mouth.

³When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;
contempt for life is contemptible.

⁴Many words rush along like rivers in flood,
but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

⁵It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,
or come down hard on the innocent.

⁶The words of a fool start fights;
do him a favor and gag him.

⁷Fools are undone by their big mouths;
their souls are crushed by their words.

⁸Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you really want junk like that in your belly?

⁹Slack habits and sloppy work
are as bad as vandalism.

¹⁰God’s name is a place of protection—
good people can run there and be safe.

¹¹The rich think their wealth protects them;
they imagine themselves safe behind it.

¹²Pride first, then the crash,
but humility is precursor to honour.

¹³Answering before listening
is both stupid and rude.

¹⁴A healthy spirit conquers adversity,
but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

¹⁵Wise men and women are always learning,
always listening for fresh insights.

¹⁶A gift gets attention;
it buys the attention of eminent people.

¹⁷The first speech in a court case is always convincing—
until the cross-examination starts!

¹⁸You may have to draw straws
when faced with a tough decision.

¹⁹Do a favour and win a friend forever;
nothing can untie that bond.

²⁰Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;
good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

²¹Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

²²Find a good spouse, you find a good life—
and even more: the favor of God!

²³The poor speak in soft supplications;
the rich bark out answers.

²⁴Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.

(WOMEN) What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! (ALL) O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. (MEN) Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. (ALL) Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. (ALL) Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; thou shalt find a solace there.

Miracle in the Prison

Acts 16 New International Version

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” ¹⁸She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

¹⁹When her owners realised that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. ²⁰They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar ²¹by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

²²The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. ²³After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. Related image

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. ²⁷The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

²⁹The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³²Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. ³³At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptised. ³⁴The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

³⁵When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

³⁷But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. ³⁹They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. ⁴⁰After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

Decisions

Image result for Christian decisions

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Most of us will have heard or used the saying ‘Decisions, decisions, decisions’ at some point in our life.

Because we have to make decisions every day of our lives decisions are usually pretty easy to make most of the time, but occasionally a tough one comes along where we find ourselves asking what do I do here? What road do I take.

It is then as Christians we should pray to the Lord for guidance and trust in the Lord to guide us in the right direction.

I’ll let the video speak for itself.

God’s Promises

2 Peter 1:4

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

How true the verse is in 2 Peter 1;4 the Lord will give us his great & precious promises to enable us to escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires, providing we live by God’s Promises.

1. Standing on the promises of Christ my King, See the source image
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God.
(Refrain)

3. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
standing on the promises of God.
(Refrain)

4. Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Saviour as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.
(Refrain)