Carol’s Blog

Favourite Verses

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We all have favourite Bible verses; maybe we can remember and quote John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ These are words which we probably learned at a young age as they sum up the whole gospel and contain hope for all. Some verses will be familiar to all, while others will be unique to our own love. Among my most loved are 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Isaiah 40:31.

As I was reading about Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8, I began to wonder what his best known texts would have been. I know that in those times great chunks of the scriptures were learned by heart, a habit that puts us to shame. Probably their most used passages would be about the promised Messiah and in this they would have been spoiled for choice. In explaining this passage to the Ethiopian, Philip would have already been knowledgeable. ‘He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a lamb before his shearer is silent, He did not open his mouth.’ Handel in his oratorio known as the Messiah used many of the same passages. ‘

Stand Firm

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We are so blessed to have two letters written by Paul to the church at Corinth. It is so obvious that it is a church which he loved dearly in spite of them being a church with failings. (that sounds a bit like our churches today) The letter is so full of advice and caring that he must have wondered how to conclude it to give maximum strength to what he had been saying.

His last message can probably be summed up in two words ‘Stand firm.’ The city of Corinth at that time was pagan and sinful. The moral standards were so far from the standards that were expected from Christians. These Corinthians Christians would likely have felt they didn’t belong in that culture at all. (Does that sound familiar today?) They needed to stand firm in Christ and His word. (though they had less of His Word than we do today; how blessed we are!)

Look at Paul’s final words of exhortation. ‘Be on your guard,’ ‘stand firm in the faith,’ ‘ Be strong,’ ‘Be of courage,’ ‘ Do everything in love.’ AD 55 or AD 2023 the message and meanings are the same.

Missing Birds

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With my move I’ve gained a very small garden, but it is a garden without life. My tiny lawn has hardly any grass, it seems to consist of only dandelions. I know the birds and insects like them but their season has passed now. Surrounding the lawn is only stones with a membrane underneath. There is no visible earth at all. There is an hydrangia in one corner and a small fushia in another. At present no birds visit and I’ve not yet seen any flying insects. I do plan to change that, of course, but it takes time.

I’ve erected a bird table, but the birds haven’t got the message yet. I’m sure the presence of my neighbour’s cats don’t help. I think what I need is patience. I’m determined to entice the birds back. I’m told by two neighbours opposite that they have many visiting birds, so I will keep trying. I have a small dish which is full of rain water, so I might get them back that way. As far as I know the previous owner of the bungalow didn’t do anything to encourage wild-life. I need to let everything know that they are all welcome in my garden.

Christ Alone

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The call to salvation is so simple that it does not seem true. ‘Whosoever will come,’ the Bible says. There is no caveat or condition. It is a human failing to think that we have to earn our way to heaven. But as the hymn-writer says, ‘Were the whole world of nature mine, that is an offering far too small.’ (Isaac Watts) What can we possibly give to Him who owns everything and has created everything. All God wants is our hearts and He will fill us with the Holy Spirit.

The early Jews wanted to add circumcision to the mix, but that was never a requirement of salvation. Down through the ages the church has sometimes ‘muddied the waters.’ Pilgrimages, fasting, special services or giving of alms are all good but they are trappings and not the essence of our faith.

We can never earn our way to heaven, we can only accept the precious gift. ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, only to the cross I cling.(Augustus Toplady) Does our own church cling to tradition and not substance? Are we explaining the gospel faithfully to seekers? Forget our preferences and prejudices. Yes, it is that simple.

Forgiven

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It is so easy to remember our mistakes of the past. I still recall an action of mine when I was about ten which hurt someone and then another time when I spoke out of turn and caused distress to other people. I was in my early 20’s and should have known better. Even recently I’ve had to make phone calls to apologize for something I’ve said. When I think about God it’s even worse I’ve sinned against Him all my life. Guilt is a crippling thing, it can mean that the past ruins the present and clouds the future.

It does not have to be like this, God has forgiven us all our sins. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask for and receive forgiveness. ‘Forgive us our debts’ or trespasses as we used to say. Debts makes us think of money and we are all debtors to God. Trespasses sounds like little mistakes, surely ‘sins’ is a better word.

We need to take the words of Paul in Philippians 3;13-14 to heart, ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.’

The Mysteries of God

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There is so much i this life that I don’t understand but I can take them on trust. I don’t understand the principles of gravity, but I can accept that there is such a thing. If I let go of a piece of bread it will fall downwards towards the floor (usually butter side down) I can’t understand how a microwave works. I’m just thankful for the lovely hot food gives. I don’t know how planes seem to defy those same rules of gravity. So many things I take on trust and have a comfortable life in spite of my ignorance.

In the same way I don’t understand the mysteries of God. Even Job had to be reminded that he was fallible. ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?’ God asked him. We are finite creatures in the hands of an infinite loving God. We don’t need to know everything about God, all we need to know is in the Bible. Our minds can’t grasp anything more and the Bible tells us that He loves us with an everlasting love.

God is Trustworthy

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We read in Nehemiah 13:13 that four trustworthy men, a priest, a Levite, a scribe, and a layman of rank, were chosen because they were trustworthy to distribute supplies to the needy. A similar thing happened in Acts 6:1-5 when seven brothers were chosen to distribute food to the widows who were being overlooked. There is every reason to believe that these tasks were carried out faithfully.

We know that this is not always the case. What has happened to the phrase, ‘My word is my bond.’ On so many occasions people do not keep their word. I write this as once again I am waiting for a a promised workman and a phone message to be answered. When the errant person is contacted the answer can be ‘I had something else to do.’ Could a phone call not be made to explain? The phone is a wonderful invention!

We have a Heavenly Father who never breaks His word; His word is truly His bond. Throughout the whole of history God’s word has been reliable. His promises have been sure and trustworthy.

A Wedding

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Very recently I went to a wedding, which is not a common occurrence at my age. It was of a young lady I had been corresponding with since she went to uni a few years ago, she was marrying another member of our church. The best thing about the marriage is that they are two young Christian but the next best thing was that they were so radiantly happy, which was infectious to the whole congregation. I’ve never been to a ceremony with so much clapping and cheering; nothing austere about the day although they were talking it very seriously. Their lives and futures were all dedicated to God.

When I sold my house recently I sold to a young couple who had only been married a year. They are both Christians and are leaders of the youth in our church. These youngsters and others like them, are the hope for the future of Christianity in our country. They are strong, fit and eager with an eagerness that only the youth seem to have. Don’t listen to the dismal stories about the church of the future. When we are gone they will be leading it; God never leaves Himself without witnesses. Because it is God’s work the church will never die.

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Comfort

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During my lifetime I’ve been the recipient of so much comfort. When I was bereaved, ill or in trouble there were always human friends and acquaintances by my side. This was besides the heavenly help I received. God was always by my side encouraging, leading and guiding.

Now I am in a different position, I am not in the state of bereavement, illness or loneliness; but others are. It is now my time to be there for the bereaved, sick or lonely. A close neighbour has been widowed only this week. Although she is a non-believer so I could give her Christian encouragement, I can still sit or listen if she wants to talk. Another neighbour is ill, not seriously, but still needing encouragement and company. Yet another neighbour needs her shopping done, as I am quite mobile and they are not. I prayer that I can be the hands and feet of Christ.

Psalm 88

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This psalm is really interesting being one of the most dismal with hardly a ray of light. v 4 ‘I am counted among those who go down to the pit.’ v 5 ‘like the slain who lie in the grave,’ v 14 ‘Why, O Lord, do you reject me.’ Pretty grim stuff and when we have troubles in our lives we can feel like that. We have days when everything seems to go wrong and then a really big problem comes along on top of everything else. We read the book of Job ‘Yet man is born to trouble as surely as the sparks fly upwards.

But that is definitely not the whole story. We have a God who cares, His past faithfulness proves that to us. There are rays of light in the direst of situations. God will either give us answers to our problems or equip us with strength to cope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Prayer will sustain us meanwhile. God is always on our case.