The Bible is Comfort and Encouragement

 As I look at the title of this blog I feel it should read 'the Bible offers comfort and encouragement', for it certainly does.  When people are going through difficulties, sickness, grief, feeling overwhelmed, they often turn to the Bible for comfort.  We have probably all been to funerals where Psalm 23 was read or sung.  And probably been to weddings where 1 Corinthians 13 which speaks of the greatness of love and what real love is was read.  We had it at our wedding!

You may know that it has been the mission of Gideons International https://gideons.org/ to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout 190+ countries. One way they do this is by giving Bibles and New Testaments to students. They also put Bibles in hotel and motel rooms throughout the world.  You may have received one of these in your high school days.  Why do they do this?  Because the Bible contains a message of comfort and encouragement for every stage of life.

I have heard of people at their wits end in a hotel room in a city far from home, who pick up a Bible and find help for their present need and are comforted, encouraged and transformed. It works! (The Gideon Bibles usually have special pages to lead you to certain Bible passages for certain needs.)  

Here are just a few examples of the comfort you can find in the Bible.....New Living Translation (NLT)

"God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort......." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me to bring good news to the poor, to comfort the brokenhearted..." Isaiah 61:1

" ...those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again!"......Isaiah 26:19

"God is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows...." Psalm 68:5

I remember back to the week of 9/11, as we know it, when the twin towers in New York City were deliberately struck by commercial aircraft, killing many people and shocking the world.  We were living in Hong Kong at the time and a few days after this I was due to fly out to the USA to attend a Women's Christian Convention.  

It didn't look at all hopeful and airlines stopped flying to the USA for a few days and then when they began again there was a huge backlog of passengers waiting to leave Hong Kong.  Added to this was the fact that I was travelling on a staff standby ticket.  Hopeless??  I turned to the Lord for wisdom and encouragement.  My eyes alighted on this verse.... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5  

So I set about putting the impossibilities aside and prayed for God to lead me.  On the day I was planning to travel I fronted up to the staff check in desk and a sign confronted me "No Staff Travel at this time."  I handed over my ticket anyway and said a quiet prayer, remembering to 'not depend on my own understanding'.  The check in girl looked at my ticket,  consulted with her associate in Chinese, and gave me a time to return to the desk.  

It was always a nerve-wracking time, waiting to see if we would get seats on a flight or not.  Most times, (in those days) it was pretty good but now was a different scene entirely.  I returned to the desk at the appointed time and after a loooong wait they called my name and gave me a ticket for one of the last 2 seats available on that flight.  Whew!!  And lots of praise to God!

In Hebrews 4:12 is says this...."The word of God is alive and powerful......".  It surely is.  Do take some time to look into it for your own comfort and encouragement. Ask God to speak to you.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, God of all comfort, would you draw me to reading your word. Would you speak to me about the things that I am concerned about and give me your wisdom. Amen

The Bible Is Truth

In my last post I encouraged you toward daily Bible reading.  Here it is 6 weeks later and I wonder if you have begun to develop that habit. I'm not asking for confessions!  That will be between you and God.  However, since I wrote that I have jotted down a few headings on what the Bible is so I will make the next 4 blogs about different things that the Bible is.

Recently I half-jokingly suggested to a friend that he might like to read the Bible to his poor-sighted wife.  She is a believer and he is not, and every now and then I 'push his button' just to tease, but also to get him to think.  That day his cheeky response was, "I don't read novels!" 

If there is one thing I absolutely know for sure it is that the Bible is NOT a novel.  The (Protestant) Holy Bible is an amazing collection of 66 books, by almost as many writers, spanning centuries.  It is divided into 2 parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.  

The Old Testament covers the story of God's chosen people, the Israelites, who were direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It also contains elements of history, poetry and prophecy.  The New Testament is the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and his followers.  It finishes with the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the apostle John and tells of how this world will pass away and be replaced by a new earth ruled by Jesus Christ.  

In recent years many people have worked on various translations of the Bible in order to make it more easy to read.  Some are good, others are not so good.  I generally use the New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT). 

Why do I say that the Bible is truth?  Because I believe that it is the Word of God;  the God who created the heavens and the earth and gave us a written account of it.  The God who created us (and all who have walked this earth before us), who has given us his words to instruct and guide us in how to live a full and satisfying life on this earth.  

Not only that, he is God who promised to send his Son to this earth as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. From the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God's one command to them, sin became a barrier between us and God.  From that time sin was part of every person born.  We were separated from God by the barrier of sin which could only be broken down by a perfect man, one who never sinned. That man was Jesus Christ. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

There are so many reasons why I believe that the Bible is Truth; one of the main ones is because so many prophecies given in both the Old and New Testaments have been fulfilled, to the letter, in amazing ways through the centuries.  There are 351 Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone.  Check this out https://www.newtestamentchristians.com/bible-study-resources/351-old-testament-prophecies-fulfilled-in-jesus-christ/

Next time I will give you some more of what the Bible is and what it contains.  Happy reading!

Prayer: Dear God, please help me to have a desire to study and understand your Word. Amen

Hope

 

Tomorrow it will be Christmas Day, and soon the arrival of another new year!  Do you, like me, say (again), 'where did that year go?' The time passes by so quickly, and we have had yet another tumultuous year in our world. A year of wars, famines, floods, earthquakes, disruptions and death.

It has been a year when people we love have died through sickness, by accident, through massacre, and some by their own hand. A year that many would rather forget, as they hope for better days to come.  

The very real Hope of the world, is Jesus Christ.  He is the one who will eventually bring the peace we hope for......if our hope is founded in Him. I am continually thankful that His word, the Bible tells us what lies ahead for the world, and it is that there is much tribulation to come before Jesus finally comes again to rule and reign in a restored heavens and earth.  

Many, in fact most of the Bible prophecies have already come to pass, in amazingly precise ways.  The most important one being the arrival of Jesus Christ whose birth we remember tomorrow.  If you haven't been used to reading the Bible, may I suggest you start to do so in this coming year.  Find a friend or a group you can read/study it with.....and be amazed at the message of life, peace, hope and joy it brings.  

Don't stop when you get to the book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament.  That is like reading a book and stopping before the last chapter!  Revelation is the ONLY book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read it......Revelation 1:3 says "God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near."

If we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his revelation to those who will believe, we have no reason to be afraid of what lies ahead only a joyful anticipation of what is to come.  My aim for 2026 is this......

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." Philippians 3:14.  I pray that you will too.  Come Lord Jesus!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father it is my prayer that you give me, and all your people, a stronger desire to search out your truth in the Bible that you have given us in this coming year.  Amen

God Has A Plan!

                                                                                                            Photo: Barry Doig

                                                                                                                                                                  

God has a plan that, so often, we don’t understand

But oh, what peace and comfort comes our way

When we can trust him with it all.....

Our loved ones, our health or circumstances.

The One who holds together this universe that he created

Who sees everything……before…. now…..later…. and forever.

The Eternal One, who, with wisdom watches over all

To bring about his great purpose for us, and for our world….

Through Jesus Christ, his Son

Who gave his life for me……and for us all

To free us from the load of sin and shame

To give us joy and hope amidst the pain.

He is faithful, he is love and I will trust him 

For God has a plan and he will see it through!

 

 Prayer: Jesus, I believe, help my unbelief.  Amen

Do Yourself a Favour!

 

It's lemon season here and how lovely it is to see such an abundant crop around the village this year.  Last year my tree decided to take a rest but it's sure making up for it this year!

Thinking about these lemons and how lovely they look, caused me to think about their sour taste.  Anyone who was offered a lemon but who hadn't seen one before might get a shock and pull a face once they tasted its bitterness or sourness.  Having said this I do have a friend in Macau who loves to chew on lemons.  

There are things in life that can bring bitterness to our spirit.  I think of Hannah in the Old Testament who was unable to conceive a child.  Her bitterness caused her to go to God with weeping and prayers for a child which God graciously gave her. In the New Testament there was Simon in the city of Samaria.  He had been practising witchcraft and claiming his own greatness but he came to faith in Jesus Christ and began following the disciples.  When he saw the gifts of the Holy Spirit being given to others he offered money to be enable him to do what the apostles were doing. Peter rebuked him saying, "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."Vs 23.

Simon had become a believer in Jesus but there was still some work to be done in his life - just as there is in us too.  His thinking needed to be straightened out, and Peter's strong rebuke shocked him into asking for prayer. Left unchecked sin would probably have led to him 'going off the rails' and possibly leading others astray into thinking that God's divine gifts were for sale.

Bitterness can be our response to many things; being treated unfairly, losing our job or health, knowing that people are criticising us, abandonment of different kinds.  Sometimes we feel very justified in our bitterness but it is never worth the price we pay.  Some wise person has said that "Bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die!"

Paul in his writing to the Ephesians instructs very clearly on things which should not be allowed to remain in our lives. Bitterness is one of those things.  If we harbour bitterness in our hearts it leads to pollution of those around us. It robs us of our joy and peace in the Lord.  It warps our thinking and can even make us sick.  

Do yourself a favour today; examine your heart, ask God to show you if you are harbouring anything in your heart that is stunting your growth in Christ and robbing you of your peace.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to come to you with an open mind. Please show me if I am holding bitterness or any other negative thoughts or emotions that are blocking my fellowship with you and stunting my spiritual growth.  Help me to grow in grace and so that my joy and peace-filled life will glorify you.  Amen

Lord You Are

                                                       

Over the years I have written a few poems,  though none lately.  As I was spending time with God this morning I expressed that thought to him, and as I sat quietly meditating on his goodness and glory these words came to mind.  

            Lord you are my morning joy

            Forever you are near

            You are a spring of water

            Gushing up, refreshing here.

            Lord you are my hiding place 

            In darkness or in fear

            You are my rock and my strong tower

            My Saviour oh so dear.

            Lord lead me in your mercy

            In paths so true and right

            Until I see you face to face 

            In everlasting light.

I hope this is, or will become, your prayer too.  For to know him brings such peace and joy into our life, such security when our world in shaky.

PRAYER:  Father God, may your peace flood my life today and I put my trust in you.

Be my rock and strong tower, my refreshing and my joy.  Amen

Entrances and Exits

I have been reading about Ezekiel’s vision of the future temple. I love the Old Testament because it tells us so much about God and his ways.  I believe that we should always be looking at both the Old & New Testaments of the Bible in order to have a proper understanding of God.  The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies that pertain to the New Testament, many of which have already been fulfilled.

In Hebrews 4:12 the writer says that the word of God is "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart'.  God can speak to us in different ways through his word at various times.  So what caught my eye in Ezekiel 44:5 that could possibly have meaning for us today? This is how it spoke to me.

In his vision God spoke to Ezekiel about how things are to work in the temple.  Some of the temple staff had sinned against God in times past by worshipping idols while still offering sacrifices in the temple. They had also broken God's laws in other ways. These words at the end of Ezekiel 44:5 struck me......"Give attention to the entrance to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary."

What does the temple have to do with a believer today?  In the New Testament Paul says, "...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19. In this passage Paul is telling the believers to be careful what they allow into their body, specifically regarding sexual purity.  However there are other ways to 'pollute' our temple.  That is why we have to guard the gate in.....that could also be the 'eye gate' or the 'ear gate'.  We have to be careful about what we watch and what we listen to.

Then there is guarding the exit which is the 'mouth' gate. In Colossians 3 Paul writes to the believers....."But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  Do not lie to one another......".  He expands on the reason for this in Ephesians 4...."Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."

Let us be mindful of guarding 'the gates' of our bodies that we may live to please God.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me that I should live my life in such a way as to bless others and glorify you.  Please help me to do this. Amen