Staying Together

Romans 8:39-40 (New Living Translation)
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.





God's Grace is all we need - Trust God today for all that you require.

The Reason

Question: Have you ever wondered why Jesus came to earth?
Answer: For us

Question: Do you wonder why Jesus died on the cross?
Answer: For love

Question: Who has given us the best reason to live?
Answer: Jesus Christ

Question: Have you found a reason to live?
If not, remind yourself today that Jesus gave His life just for you.

We Are the Reason He Suffered and Died!

We Are The Reason by Avalon

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn

Of all the gifts and toys we knew we’d find

But we never realized a baby born one blessed night

Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

We were the reason that He gave His life

We were the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

As the years went by we learned more about gifts

The giving of ourselves and what that means

On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying in the rain

All because of love

All because of love

We were the reason that He gave His life

We were the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

I finally found the reason for living

It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him (every part to Him)

And all that I do every word that I say (you know I’ll be saying)

I’ll be giving my all just for Him, for Him (every thing for Him)

We are the reason that He gave His life

We are the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give (all that he could give all)

To show us the reason to live

He is the reason to live

(don’t you know do you know the reason

that he came, oh he came to save us

when he gave his life for us) he suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave everything (everything that He had He gave)

To show us the reason to live

Glorious Day

Happy Day by Tim Hughes

The greatest day in history, Death is beaten

You have rescued me

Sing it out Jesus is alive

The empty cross, The empty grave

Life eternal You have won the day

Shout it out Jesus is alive

He's alive

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed

When I stand, in that place

Free at last, meeting face to face

I am Yours Jesus You are mine

Endless joy, perfect peace

Earthly pain finally will cease

Celebrate Jesus is alive

He's alive

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same OHH NO

Forever I am changed

Oh what a glorious day

What a glorious way

That You have saved me

Oh what a glorious day

What a glorious name

YEAHHH

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed

What a glorious glorious day,

I'll never be the same

Jesus IS alive and living in MY life. Is He living in your life today?

Tell the world how wonderful Christ is. Help spread the good news that Christ IS alive!

Welcome To Our World

The long promised saviour of the world is here!

Once again this Christmas we have celebrated Christ coming into our world all those years ago.
Into a world that needs Jesus.
Every person in this world needs Jesus.

Please welcome Christ into the world, and into your life this Christmas.

Welcome To Our World by Michael W Smith

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking

How we need to hear from God

You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child

Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger

How I wish we would have known

But long awaited Holy Stranger

Make yourself at home

Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence

Bid our hungry souls be filled

Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world

Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us

Tender brow prepared for thorn

Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born

Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God

Welcome to our world

Please visit Michael W Smith's website: http://www.michaelwsmith.com/

The Gift

The gift of Christmas
The gift of love
The greatest love of all time
The love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Rejoice, in Jesus' love today and every day.

Who Is He?

Who Is He
Who is He in yonder stall,
At whose feet the shepherds fall?

Chorus
'Tis the Lord! oh wondrous story!
'Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! crown Him, Lord of all!

Who is He in deep distress,
Fasting in the wilderness?

Who is He the people bless
For His words of gentleness?

Who is He to whom they bring
All the sick and sorrowing?

Who is He that stands and weeps
At the grave where Lazarus sleeps?

Who is He the gathering throng
Greet with loud triumphant song?

Lo! at midnight, who is He
Prays in dark Gethsemane?

Who is He on yonder tree
Dies in grief and agony?

Who is He who from the grave
Comes to succor, help, and save?

Who is He who from His throne
Rules through all the worlds alone?

When Jesus was just twelve he knew his identity as the Son of God:
“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” - Luke 2:49 (New Living Translation)

But how did Jesus know he was the Son of God? Jesus was both fully God and fully man and as such is a tenet of our Christian faith. Only God could effect the redemption of the human race.

Jesus was a human baby with a human nature, yet perfect in God with God's nature. The mystery of Jesus' divine and human nature is impossible for us to fully understand, so we must simply accept it by faith.

Have you recognised who Jesus is? We might not be able to understand everything about Jesus but we can accept the truth of who is is, by faith. God intends us to read the bible and trust the information we find there. Jesus was not just a good man who came to an untimely end, he was was God, and he was also human.

Peter recognised Jesus was God and publicised his big moment by saying to Jesus "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16 NLT). When we believe Jesus is the Son of God, it will be your "big moment" because it will change your life for the good!

I thank Jesus Christ for becoming human so he could bring me to God. Make that statement yours today.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Isaiah 9:2 (New Living Translation)
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

What is "a great light"? It is of course the Saviour, Jesus Christ. The light of Christ brought the promise of deliverance for Israel, just as it can for us.

Are you in the depth of darkness and despair and need a glimmer of light and hope at the end of the tunnel? Maybe you are living in the darkness of divorce or in the shadow of death, or perhaps you have given up seeing any light in a dark family or church situation. Even those who seem to be iving "in the light", may be living in the deepest darkness of all - they may just be able to put on a "public" persona when needed.

Don't despair, there is light at the end of the tunnel - just look up and see Jesus! Here's what Jesus said in John 8:12 (The Message):
I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.

When it's dark things always seem worse, just switch off your electricity for a wee while and you'll soon see how difficult it is! But the word of God penetrates the darkness of our soul - God can turn the lights back on and lift you from your darkest times. Take the opportunity today to ask God to let the light shine on you again.

The Light Has Come by The New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army contains several of my favourite songs "The Candle of the Lord" and "The Light Has Come" - to me the most powerful words in these songs is the last line of The Light Has Come which states:

No more we walk in darkness
The Light HAS come!

Enjoy the music and the video accompaniment!

It's Called Christmas!

Why oh why do people insist on not calling this time of year by it's real name CHRISTMAS!

There is one thing that annoys me more than anything else these days, it's Christmas being called by some other name...Winterval, Festivus, Chrismukkah, Yule, Yuletide...
...and then there are my all time most annoying ones: Xmas and Crimbo!

It's almost as if Christ is deliberately being taken out of Christmas! It's hardly surprising that so few people know and understand what the true meaning of Christmas is when they don't even know it's called Christmas anymore.

Help keep Christ in Christmas, don't abbreviate or use alternative names for it, just call it as it is...Christmas!

The Christ In Christmas

Everywhere we turn at the moment we're remind that it'll soon be Christmas - There's Christmas decorations going up in people's houses and in the street. Then there's all the pre-Christmas sales urging us to spend our money on "fantastic bargains" or "huge reductions".

Phew! It's exhausting just thinking about it all!

Well I've just spend today Christmas shopping with my Mum, buying the remainder of my presents. I quickly remembered when I got to the shops why Christmas is not my favourite time of year...I hate the shops being so busy and having to join endless queues to pay for one item. Bah Humbug I hear you say, but please be assured I like buying my family and friends presents, I simply dislike the commercialism that has overtaken all things Christmas.

Do you think the people in your community actually know and understand why we celebrate Christmas, and what it's really all about? I would be very surprised if many know what Christmas is really about. The standard answers would probably be "giving and receiving presents", "spending time with family" or "Santa". In other words they have taken Christ out of Christmas!

We as Christians have a great responsibility, particularly at this time of year, to make sure we tell the world about Jesus.

We must remind everyone that without Christ there would be no Christmas!

What Child Is This by Michael W Smith...

Checkout Michael W Smith's website: http://www.michaelwsmith.com

P.S. I just about managed to finish all my Christmas shopping today, I hope your Christmas shopping expeditions are as successful.

Putting People and Christ First

People matter more than schedules
People matter more than programs.
Making people a priority means putting people first...That is the way Jesus lived his life, so that is why God wants us to live that way too.

Micah 6:8 (NLT)
The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires you to do: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

All these requirements will affect everyone around us. Doing what is right means living rightly in everything we do, wherever we are and whoever we are with. In responding rightly to wrong behaviour and judging rightly when conflicts arise.

Of course Christ did all these things perfectly, he will give us his nature so we have the power to do what we would be powerless to do in our own strength.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

In other words, putting people first will make you more like Jesus who always made sure his relationships, first with God and then with people, were his top priorities.

New Start

Have you ever done something so bad that you felt you could never be forgiven? Have you ever committed a private sin that have been made horribly public? Have you ever felt like you've been "caught in the act" by someone?

No matter the level of your sin, or who knows about it, Jesus, our Saviour offer us forgiveness and a new start to any who will repent. We need to look inside ourselves, into our own heart, and recognise all aspects of our lives where we must seeks Christs forgiveness. If we do that, we will be forgiven and urged to, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11).

No matter how privately or publicly we have failed God, if we "Go and sin no more", our new life will begin.

Use Me

Anyone of us can be a rainbow in somebody's clouds. - Maya Angelou

Have you been a rainbow in someone's life today?
Do you make a point of trying to help those whose life seems to be full of clouds?

As a Christian, I know God wants me to try to help those in need. I'm not a person who finds it very easy to talk openly to anyone about feelings/emotions (mine or anyone else's!), so when I felt God was directing me towards blogging I had no idea that nearly ever blog post I made was going to be me talking about God and how He can use us and work in us. I've been as amazed as anyone by my blog posts!

I pray that God continues to use this blog to reach others. I pray that through something I write, you may accept God as your Saviour and friend, or indeed reaffirm your love for Him if you have already accepted Him into your life.

Thank you Lord for using me in this way. I pray I may be "the rainbow in somebody's clouds" through what I write, as I do it in Christ's name.

I pray you will let God use you to to do His will in whatever way He sees fit.


The Potter's Hand...

Full Joy

Hardly a day goes by without us hearing of someone saying, "Why me, why now, why this?".

In Peter, he told the believers not to be surprised but the troubles and trials they experienced because they believed and followed Christ:
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
(1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV)

While we may not face persecution because we believe in Christ, as those Peter was writing to did, we do all face pain and suffering at some time in our lives. So these words of Peter can be used for ourselves.

Are you finding it difficult to be full of joy because your life is full of pain and hurt? Do you feel God is far away from you? Well Peter also reminds us to trust God even though we can't see Him or even see Him working.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
(1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV)

Even when we are facing troubles, we too can express joy because we believe and trust in God. After all Christ wants us to enjoy our reward for following Him, He says so in 1 Peter 1:9 (see above).

The song Great, Great Joy sung here by the International Staff Songsters fits in excellently with my message:

Total Joy

If Jesus is the only source of true joy and he lives in our hearts, how come we're all so miserable a lot of the time? When we have Jesus in our hearts it should follow that we should be brimming with joy, shouldn't we?

John 15:11 (NIV)
I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes your joy will overflow!

Jesus prayed that His disciples would be filled with His joy. He also prayed that those who would become His followers in the future would also receive true joy. i.e. US! Jesus prayed that we would know and share in His joy.

So how do we find this wonderful joy of God?
It can only be found by letting the Spirit of Christ enter into our life.

But how do we let Christ enter our life?
By invitation only!

Christ will only enter into our lives when we invite Him to enter our heart. he'll not force himself into your life because he wants us to have hearts that are open and willing to receive Him.
Have you asked Christ to enter into your life yet?

You may be wondering how to do this, so here are a few of my thoughts on how we should invite Him into our lives:

• What words should we use when we speak to Him? Call him Saviour or Lord, because that's who he is.
• How do we invite Him in? Simply say "Spirit of the living God, come into my life today".

Don't keep God waiting, ask Him to enter your life today, and receive total joy!

Let Jesus be at the centre of your joy!

Knowing You

Knowing You

All I once held dear built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing you, Jesus knowing you
There is no greater thing
You're my all you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you ,lord

Now my heart's desire is to know you more
To be found in you, and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness

Knowing you, Jesus knowing you
There is no greater thing
You're my all you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you ,lord

Oh to know the power of your risen life
And to know you in your suffering
To become like you in your death my Lord
So with You to live
And never die

Knowing you, Jesus knowing you
There is no greater thing
You're my all you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you ,lord

Do you know Christ as your personal friend and saviour?
Is Christ your all in all?

Make a decision today to get to know Jesus better. I promise you you will never experience anything better. You will never meet anyone you will love you more or give you more joy.

There is no greater thing than knowing Jesus!

Final Destination Heaven?

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

How deep is your love for Christ go? Is it just an acknowledgement that God exists and that Christ is Lord, or do you have a genuine relationship with God where you do all you can to do God's will?

For those who do not live their lives fully for Christ these words from Matthew's gospel must be frightening. God knows whether our lives are centered around Him and doing His will, and because of that knows whether we are worthy of entering into Heaven.


These words of Jesus should be calling out to us and touching our heart. He calls us to reality, away from all the superficiality of religion. True salvation and spiritual life are not just about saying those words or our religious performance. It it all about whether we do the will of God!

What is God's will? "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." "He that believeth the Son has everlasting life." Such faith in Jesus our Saviour produces a genuine relationship with God, and new life.

I pray today that your relationship with God is based on doing God's will, not just acknowledging His existence.

All For Love

Galations 2:19-21 (The Message)
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

Have you put aside your ego? Are you working for God or are you just trying to impress Him?

God wants us to work for Him, but He wants us to do so for the right reasons - because we love Him and want to tell as many people as we can about God's love and what He means to us.

Checkout the Hillsong website: http://hillsong.com/ or the Hillsong London website: http://www.hillsongmychurch.co.uk/

Opportunities

When you pray, do you pray that God will help you tell others the message that God is alive and here with us?

Do you pray that God will help you to tell others His message in a way they will understand and believe?

Do you take every opportunity that comes your way to tell others of God's love?

Colossians 4:2-6 (New Living Translation)
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.



I think most of us, if we're honest with ourselves (and with God), would have to say we don't do any of these things as much as we should! For myself, I know I need to make more use of the opportunities that come my way to talk to others about God.


I pray that we may each take every opportunity that comes our way to spread God's message to those who don't yet know Him.

I also pray that even when we don't get the opportunity to speak to someone about God, they can see something different about us because of our words and actions - they can see we believe in Christ!

Amazing Love

Amazing Love by the Newsboys - A fantastic song by a great band. I hope you enjoy it!

Isn't God'd love for us amazing?!
God sent his only son to earth and then had to let his only son, Jesus, be killed on a cross and then rise again, all because He loves each and everyone of us! Wow!

No matter what we do or say, God loves us, but don't make that an excuse to justify doing something you shouldn't.

Live for Christ!

Make Him proud of your actions and your words. Show Him how uch you love Him by putting your life entirely in His hands, to use you in whatever way he needs you.

Live for Christ!

Live The Word

Matthew 23:1-3 - The Message
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

I don't know about you, but those I meet who profess to be Christians I expect them to live/act as a Christian should. In the above passage from St. Matthew's gospel Jesus seems to say that some people talk a good talk, but they haven't really got those feelings/beliefs in their hearts. i.e. They know all the right words, but their actions do not mirror what they say.

If we profess to be a Christian but our actions do not reflect this, how can we ever expect others to follow Christ because of us - we are far more likely to convince people to turn away from God entirely!

Don't become someone who "talks the talk but doesn't live The Word". Whenever you tell folk you're a Christian, you'll they immediately (often subconsciously)start examining your words and actions in microscopic detail, just to try and find fault. So make sure your words and actions are as a Christians should be, that way it'll be much easier for others to see Christ living in your life - Making them far more likely to want to find out more about Christ because of your good example.

Talk the talk and live The Word!