A speaking God

If God spoke to you, would you listen ?

Our glorious Lord

Christ did not sin or ever tell a lie

Although He was abused, He never tied to get even.

And when He suffered,  He made no threats.

Instead, He had faith in God , who judges fairly.

Christ carried the burden of our sins.

He was nailed to the cross,

So that we would stop sinning and start living right.

By His cuts and bruises you are healed.

You had wandered away like sheep.

Now you have returned

To the one who is your Shepherd and protector.

1 Peter 2.22 CEV

Jesus the King

The glories of our Lord

His glories are many. As I outline some, may you be inspired to search the Bible for more.

Matthew (1^st book of the New Testament) introduces the glory of the King. He presents the family rights of Jesus as the ‘son of David, the right to sit upon the throne of Israel as promised to David one thousand years before. God kept the line of heirs intact and now the wise men come seeking the ‘King of the Jews’.

Some of His moral glory shines in this – Jesus knew He was destined to sit on David’s throne, but instead of grasping for that recognition, He waits for the appointed time, He submits to the path of the Father’s choice, He let’s scripture be fulfilled – both in terms of suffering and ascendancy.

The record of Matthew would appear, to human reasoning, as a record of failure – the king wearing a crown of thorns! The king of the Jews dead at 33 years! The warriors of the King hiding in fear and Satan’s grip establish over Jew and Gentile.

Herein lies the unusual glory of God –

out of defeat He makes victory,

out of poverty He makes riches,

out of weakness He makes strength, 

out of darkness He makes light,

Out of nothing He makes everything!

The resurrection of Jesus, is just the beginning of many new glories. Matthew’s biography of the king does not finish in defeat. The real story is just beginning – the king ‘lives forever’, the king is exalted by God to ultimate authority, in a dominion greater than Israel, His subjects number millions beyond the Jews and His glories are seen, not only in Himself, but also in the multitudes who follow Him.

The King gave a promise – “ you shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”  Matthew 24:30

‘even so come Lord Jesus’

JRM

Good news

Our greatest need

We live so much for the present. We pray so much for our comfort and health and wealth . When the Lord Jesus was here, He cared for people in their human needs, but pointed to the greatest need – to be right with God.

He identified our troubles as coming from Satan and ourselves. This means instead of seeking remedies for our discomfort, we rather need to be right with God.

The beginning is to repent:

- to be honest about our wandering ways,

- to confess our sins

- to admit that we listen more to the Devil’s media than we do to the word of God

- to own up to the reality that we have not given God the honour and worship He deserves.

Our greatest blessing

To anyone who takes this humble place of saying “God is right and I have been wrong” – to all such the blessings of God flow like a river.

-         Forgiveness is given to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

-          Eternal life is a gift for all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ

-          A new kind of life is commenced for all who choose to follow Jesus.

-          The Holy Spirit lives in all who yield to Jesus Christ as Lord

-          Hope and purpose are real in life and eternity for everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ.

-         And His present help in all the stresses and troubles of life is very real.  He does not promise a  trouble free life, but He does promise to be with us so that we can be overcomers.

Please notice that His blessings are not what we earn – they are free gifts of His love, paid for by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Start reading the Bible in John chapter 1

“To as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believed in His Name.”  John 1.12

A Bible free is available if you do not have one

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Songs in difficult days

The Psalms of David.

David the Shepherd became a soldier and then, after many years , was crowned King.

One would have expected his songs to be filled with times of victory and triumph.( He did defeat the giant, he did win many battles, he did rule well). Some were songs of praise for God’s blessings, but most were the outpouring of grief and pain as He calls out to God for wisdom and strength to overcome the difficulties of life. In fact, some seem to be asking the question of God – Why?

Psalm 143 is one of these. I recommend that you read it.  David admits his unworthiness, his depression and his fear. Yet in it all is his longing to know and enjoy the presence of the LORD.

So often we seek for great things, thinking that happiness comes from wealth or easy times. God knows our hearts, and He wants to use broken vessels from which the light might shine.

Paul caught the meaning of this :

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” –therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

                      2 Corinthians 12:9

Let me summarize.

Being a Christian is not a measure of how much one knows, or how successful one is. It is rather knowing God more and more through Jesus Christ the Lord. This is then lived out as servant, as a son, as a steward dependant upon and directed by the  living Lord in heaven.

The last Psalm attributed to David – Psalm 145 has a beautiful conclusion:

“My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord

And let all flesh bless His holy Name forever and ever”

johnmckee@internode.on.net

The Love of Christ

Love beyond feelings - love in action

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

— John 15:9-13

Our one real chance at loving others is if we fully receive the love of God for us and let it change our entire perspective on our relationships with others. But this won’t happen by a casual remembrance of the love of Jesus. When Jesus said, “Remain in my love,” he meant we are to dwell there. We are to be conscious every hour of the day that the bedrock truth of our lives—the core of our identity—is we are loved by Jesus the Christ. Keeping our focus on the cross is the way to remain in his love.

Ponder This: What do you have to say to Jesus who laid down his life for you?

M.L

Telling others

Psalm 107

“Has the LORD redeemed you?

Then speak out, tell others He has saved you from your enemies.”

This verse of the song  identifies a Christian distinctive. – speaking, singing because of grace.

Many religions are the imposition of rules and regulations by some form of dominating hierarchy. In contrast , true Christianity was intended to be the expression of gratitude for grace received. It was Jesus who said to the  healed demoniac :

“Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you.”

It is when love has conquered for us , and in us that we reach out to tell others.

A selfish , self centred Christian  is not really a Christian.

An interesting measure of grace at work in a believer is the ‘singing’ to the Lord.  One who lives on the level of the world has no song. The believer who enjoys  victory over sin and the world will sing,  or at least try to. (Maybe like David, to the sheep, or like me , to the Kookaburras’ ! ).

“Singing to yourselves in Psalms, Hymns and spiritual songs,  singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.”     Ephesians 5