Fear/faith

Droughts, bushfires, viruses, recession – life has become fearful.

Does God care?  Yes He does care, and for those who seek Him in prayer, who trust Him in faith, the fear is changed to trust.

The more important question is – do we care about God?

      How much time do we spend listening to God?

      How much of our heart affection is for God?

      What do we do when tempted to do evil – go God’s way?

      Is it true that we love him? and obey Him?

He showed His love to us by sending His Son Jesus to call us back to God. He shows us His love today by hearing our humble cry and giving us better than we deserve. 

Sometimes the difficulties of life are helpful in turning our attention back to the Lord our God. We are inclined to pride, selfish indulgence and independence. Going our own way only leads down. How can we blame God for not caring if we have chosen to live without Him?

Today the Lord Jesus is still calling, “ Come to me you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, I will give you rest.” Take time to read this yourself in the Bible – Matthew 11.28

He came from heaven to save you, He died to purchase your forgiveness with God, He lives today to keep you unto the days of eternity.

Do you fear the future or do you have faith in the Lord who is in charge of the future?

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Why

" Hard times and trouble are God's way of getting our attention"

Job 36:15 (CEV)

"God blesses those that feel their need of HIM"

Matthew 5:2  (NLT)

"His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward HIM  -- though He be not far from anyone of us."

Acts 17:27

"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD, and believe in your heart that God raised HIM from the dead, you will be saved"

Romans 10:9


John McKee

Hope in the time of tragedy

Hope in the shadow of tragedy

Some might ask, where is God in the situations of tragedy?  But the better question is ‘Where is man in the situations of tragedy?’

We must recognize that in our world are great forces of evil against the forces of good.  In this article I would like to focus on the human factor as presented by Jude. Yes, that little book  near the end of the Bible, is so relevant to the past and present tragedies.

If men would turn to the Lord, then might God intervene, but no, mankind wants to go it alone, go their own way!

In the book of Jude a list of historical tragedies is given:

1^st -Verse 4 -  Many Israelites died for choosing to live immoral lives. –tragedy

2^nd –The angels that went beyond the limits of their God given authority – they are still bound in prisons of darkness awaiting the day of judgement.-tragedy.

3^rd  - The people of Sodom and Gomorrah delighted in every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire from heaven and the people await the day of judgement. – tragedy

4^th –False teachers who mock and curse the things they do not understand. They bring about their own destruction. –tragedy.

5^th – Those who like Cain, hate and kill even their own family – tragedy

6^th – Those who like Balaam, will do anything for money – tragedy.

7^th – Those who like Korah, rebel against God given authority – tragedy

So many of these are like wandering stars, heading for everlasting doom and darkness.

They are grumblers and complainers, doing whatever evil they feel like. They are loud mouthed braggarts, and they flatter others to get favours in return. – tragedy!

What a horror list – yet what an accurate description of our world!

What hope is there?

In the beginning of history, God came to Adam in the garden to communicate spiritual blessing. Tragedy broke that fellowship, BUT God still sought connection with Adam and Eve. The Lord still continued to connect with Cain and Abel. Through history, God has continued to reach out to individuals who repent and believe in Him. Noah preached righteousness so that the people might be delivered from tragedy. So in modern history, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has called people to Repent . Many individuals have responded . They have found a nearness to God that impels them to bless others like Jesus did. Sometimes like a Luther, a Wilberforce, but mostly it has been the salt , light and kindness of the millions who have come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way.

Jude gives hope and good advice to his readers:

Verse 1     ‘You are called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ .’

Verse 3    ‘ you are to defend the Gospel.’

Verse 15    ‘ Understand that God will bring the people of the world to judgement.’

Verse 17    ‘You must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you.’

Verse 20    ‘you must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith, praying in the Spirit.’

Verse 21    ‘Keep yourselves in the love of God , looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life’
Verse 22    'showing mercy to others'

Verse 24,25     Let the praise begin to God who is Holy, who is the Saviour, for He is worthy.

I encourage you to read this little book of Jude again. See God in righteous judgement and see God in abundant grace. By this means, tragedy can become a triumph.

Something to ponder – ‘why is there not greater tragedy as punishment for sin?’

The answer is – ‘God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish.’

John McKee

Tragedy!

Reviewing history

If you like nightmares, read history!  The history of mankind seems to be one long narrative of tragedy and suffering. The last 150 years is perhaps one of the worst records of human trauma, and there seems to be no end to disasters in sight.

Thinking people ask why?

Historians ask ‘why don’t we learn from history?’

Religious people ask ‘ where is God in all this?’

Forecasters ask ‘Is the world getting better or worse?’

Young people say ‘What’s the point of living?’

And so hopelessness sets in.

Is there an answer?  At school we are studying Genesis. In these pages we are finding the fundamental causes.- Listening to the wrong voice!  Blaming others instead of accepting responsibility , envy that ends in murder, rejection of God and His ways – finally ending in global disaster!   Well nothing much is new today!

Next blog – there is an answer!

John McKee

One God,, One Lord

An idol is nothing in the world.  There is no God but one. For though there are those called gods many, and lords many; yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through Him.

-         The Bible – 1 Corinthians 10

-          

In a world of pluralism (many paths to god), the Bible insists that there is only one God and one Saviour Jesus Christ  the Lord. I would have thought that advanced humanity  would have stopped worshipping idols that have eyes but cannot see, ears that cannot hear, mouths that do not speak!

In a world of historical  and archaeological verification, I would have thought that people would have noticed the superior credentials of Jesus Christ as Leader and Saviour. Rather than following men that are dead, and whose teachings are often confusing. Jesus, whom the critics fail to discredit, remains distinguished in moral value, in spiritual transformation and in divine claim – the Son of God. 

All who encounter Him ( as many do in reading His words, dreams, research, study, experiences), all bow before Him and worship Him.

Most people I encounter choose to stay in the dark, and do not want to know Him.  This may be due to religious upbringing, fear of the need to change, fear of others etc.  How tragic that for such is reserved the ‘outer darkness’ of eternity without God.

The promise of Christ remains true – “seek and you will find, Knock and it will be opened to you”

johnmckee@internode.on.net