In His Grip

Isa 49:15-16
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands".

Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock. He put a new song in my mouth.

I think that no matter how old we are we need to be in a safe pair of hands. The weaker you are the more support you need. I would imagine that if you were in a slimy pit full of mud, slowly going under you would cry out for help, hoping upon hope that someone strong enough will pass by that can get you out. I can see me stretching out my mud covered hands in desperation. Then the 'grip' that will never slip, never weaken, never let go is felt and we know instinctively that we will be saved from the pit.

Thank you Lord for your hands, pierced for my sins, thank you Lord that your hands reach out to us in love and compassion, to save us from the pit of hell, to a new life based on you as our sure foundation.

Pentecost

Today on this Sunday we celebrate one of the moat momentous days in Christian history, the day of Pentecost. Christmas and Easter are the well known days in the Christian calendar but Pentecost is largely ignored. Yet for those of us who know and believe that the Holy Spirit is indwelling us in our lives then it is a very significant day.

My prayer is for the Holy Spirit come to us and fill us -

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

For the Holy Spirit to teach us all things concerning our Lord and bring to remembrance his words -

Joh 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

For the Holy Spirit to let us understand the heart of God our Father who will equip us for life in the Lord's service -

Joh 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

Finally .............. a thought for to-day

Let God's Word and Truth fill our minds, rule our hearts, and guide our tongues

Take Time to Smell the Roses

Yesterday I drove my car for a total of 9 hours. Two hours from our home in Northern Ireland down to Dublin in Southern Ireland. This was followed by a two hour high speed ferry crossing to Wales and then a 7 hour drive across the top of Wales, then a drive down the full length of Wales as far as Cardiff, and then over into England past the city of Bath to Bradford-on-Avon where my brother-in-law Ken and his wife Ann lives.

Driving alone on this long journey my directions were guided by satellite signals beamed from space. The route my satnav took me was through some beautiful parts of Wales, but every few miles I would hit a small town and have to slow down, and then there were the dreaded roundabouts. In the US you do not have too many roundabouts but in the UK they are the preferred means for controlling traffic at road junctions.

There was so many roundabouts and stoppages that I stopped and checked that the settings on my satnav were set for 'fastest route'! The satnav settings were set for the fastest route, but in hindsight if I had looked at a map and used my own judgement, I believe that I would have saved at least a hour on that journey. If I had gone into England much sooner and hit one of the main motorways going south the journey would have been a shorter one.

But thinking back, if I had indeed used a map, I 'might' have got to my destination sooner, but I would have missed out on the lovely scenery, especially a valley I went through in southern Wales. I would have missed 'driving' through the twists and turns in the road. I would have missed the small towns and the people walking through them. Instead I would have gone mile after mile on boring motorways.

Funny how as I go down the road of life I come across junctions, were my decisions on which way to turn, can have major impact on the various destinations I reach in my life. I like most people have found that between these junctions, and destinations the road of life has many twists and turns.

Life is so frantic, I want to get everywhere in the shortest time possible. I usually focus my attention on getting to the destination but the Lord wants me to enjoy the journey with him.

I still believe that satnavs are not to be fully trusted for car journey's but I have one navigator in life, Jesus that knows the road ahead in my life and in your life, a He knows the perfect route for each and every one of us.

He knows the junctions in our lives that have to be negotiated, he knows when we have to slow down, and when we can speed up. He knows the people who we will encounter on this journey of life, and he knows that if we let him drive and if we would only take our eyes of the immediate road ahead, there is beauty and wonder all around us.

Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

How I love to rush ahead following my own direction and plan, under my own steam, while the Lord asks me to walk with Him under His loving care and guidance.

Neh 9:12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel.

Finally ......... a thought for to-day

If you know Jesus, you'll never travel alone

23rd Psalm for the Workplace

I came across this version of the 23rd Psalm with a modern viewpoint connected to work. I do not know the author's name, but I think that is very apt for this economic climate we face, and the uncertainities of job stability.

23rd Psalm for the Workplace

The Lord is my real boss and I shall not want,
He gives me peace when chaos is all around me.
He gently reminds me to pray before I speak and to do all things
without murmuring and complaining.
He reminds me that he is my source and not my job,
He restores my sanity every day and guides my decisions that I might honour him in everything I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of Emails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating managers, and an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning, I will not stop - - for he is with me!

His presence, His peace, and power will see me through.
He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me.
He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go.

His faithfulness and love are better than any bonus payment,
His retirement plan beats every pension plan there is.
When it's all said and done, I'll be working for him a whole lot longer and for that, I bless his Name.


Finally..... a thought for to-day:

Your mouth is the microphone of your heart.

Blessed is the person who seeks his heavenly father

How deep the fathers love for us, a love beyond all measure.

Beyond measure what a wonderful phrase, beyond measure. Something that cannot be fathomed or expressed in words or numbers. No words of man could express the love of God. The old children's hymn starts of with the words: 'wide wide as the ocean, high as the heavens above, deep deep as the deepest sea is my saviours love. I though so unworthy still am a child of his care for his word teaches me that his love reaches me everywhere'.

God's love will always find the heart that is open to receive and accept his love and grace and forgiveness, all because while we were still sinners Christ died for our sins.