Christmas 2019 - The Word

The Gospel of John presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God and as “the Word”.  In John ch 1 v1& 2 he said, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God”.  He uses this title on four occasions each one directing us to a specific location.  In the verse above he directs us to heaven and the pre-incarnate existence of the Son, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. John ch 1 verse 18 says “no man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him.”  And John 4 v 24 “God is a Spirit”

Coping through Tough Times

We are living in interesting times. The world continues in a state of recession. The season of abundance seems to have come and gone and now the season of recession seems to be entrenching itself. People are finding that times are difficult and the effects of this difficulty seem to be affecting the whole world. Economies are shrinking and jobs are being lost. As I was contemplating these issues, I began to realize that there is a story in the Bible about a similar situation that took place.

Europe - a place where God is blessing people

    

When God made the heavens and the earth everything was perfect.  The stars and the planets were in their correct order and location and everything was ‘on the move’.  Planet earth, the sun and the moon each were set revolving in an orderly manner.  

The earth revolves around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour.  

The sun orbits at 492,000 miles per hour.  

The moon orbits Earth at a speed of 2,288 miles per hour and completes its circuit in just less than 28 days.  

But note the following:

1. We have no sensation of movement of any kind, other than we can see the moon in different positions in the sky.  
2. We can trust and depend upon the stability of this order and mariners can plot their course by fixing their location in relation to the North Star. 
3. We don’t have to worry when we go to bed at night that the sun will rise in the East and bring all the benefits to planet Earth that it requires to sustain life.  

The enthronement of Emperor Naruhito & Empress Masako

Today in Japan, The Prince of Wales attended the Ceremony of Enthronement of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen. This is quite an occasion in light of the changes that have taken place in Japanese society since the last set of ceremonies in 1990. Emperor Naruhito, 59, acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne in May after his father, Emperor Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch in more than two centuries to abdicate. But, after a series of traditional rituals inside the imperial palace in Tokyo, his ascension has now been formalised. The ceremony comes as Japan reels from the effects of Typhoon Hagibis, which left almost 80 people dead.

No one expected it to happen to him!

No one expected it to happen to him. He had been doing it for decades. He was considered a professional in the field of tornadoes research. We have all heard of adrenalin-crazed storm-chasers who, with reckless abandon, drive dangerously into storms with their cameras to prove they did it and survived. But Tim Samaras was not one of them. Samaras was respected around the world for his research into violent weather and tornadoes. He traced his fascination with tornadoes back to his childhood, when he first watched the violent storm sequence in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. That’s when he said he was ‘hooked for life.’

Samaras and his team starred on "Storm Chasers" for five years on the Discovery Channel, with the last show in the autumn of 2011. Speaking with a reporter from the National Geographic, in what would perhaps be his last interview, Samaras gave some advice about being safe in tornado country. 

Would you forgive your brother’s murderer?

On September 6, 2018, Amber Guyer—an off-duty patrol officer in Dallas—entered the apartment of 26-year-old accountant Botham Jean. She later said she thought it was her own apartment and mistook Jean for a burglar, shooting and killing him.

One year later, on October 1, 2019, she was found guilty of murder. On October 2, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Coping with Change!

Life’s usually is a constant cycle of change as we all know only too well. We just seem to get comfortable; find our slot and then things change. As a Christian, I have the assurance that despite the changes in life I have an anchor. My anchor is none other than Jesus Christ – He provides the hope, ‘both sure and steadfast’, ‘which hope we have as an anchor of the soul ^[1]’. An anchor is a heavy object attached to a cable or chain and used to moor a ship to the sea bottom. When life is changing, we need a fixed point of reference, an anchor to keep us steady. I believe that the Bible is the only document known to humanity that can give us stability and the fixed point of reference that we need as we make our journey through life. Within its pages, we will discover the reason we exist, the cause of all the evil and sin in our world and the way that we can know what is eternal i.e. things that are of lasting value. To be confident in this life we need peace, contentment and confidence that our life has real significance. I believe the only way this is possible is to get to know God, the maker of us all. He made us and he knows how we tick.

A case of good manners!

‘Put your mobile phone away during meals, never eat on the train, and remember that reclining your aeroplane seat is selfish’. So says the DeBrett’s Handbook of Modern Manners. They’ve been dispensing advice on etiquette for 250 years, and the latest edition includes protocols for smartphones and e-cigarettes. Memorising their rules should enable anyone of us to avoid causing offence in any setting.

Politics & Trust

President Trump said he asked National Security Advisor John Bolton to resign his position. On the other hand, Mr Bolton said that he had offered to resign and had not been asked to leave directly or indirectly. There appears to have been a break down in trust between these two men. 

In the UK Amber Rudd resigned from her cabinet position after twenty-one conservative MP’s had been expelled from the party for voting against the government. She was not happy with that and decided to leave her post. The BBC interviewer summarised her comments as a lack of trust in the Prime Minister to get a deal on Brexit. 

The Leavers Assembly

I have just had the privilege of attending the ‘passing out ceremony’ of a group of Year 6 boys and girls. It was their last day at Primary School and in six weeks or so they will be launched into the rather bigger world of secondary education. I say ‘passing out ceremony’ because that’s what it felt like. It was most enjoyable. They were celebrating what they had achieved and the people that they had become since they arrived in the school. Approximately seven years ago they faced a whole new world – some of them were anxious, many of them quite settled and happy but for all them they faced the unknown. Now they have to do it all over again! Life’s like that, as we all known only too well. We just seem to get comfortable; find our slot and then things change. 

A Hymn about Prayer by William Cowper

By William Cowper (1779) 

What various hindrances we meet

In coming to a mercy seat;

Yet who that knows the worth of prayer,

But wishes to be often there.

Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw,

Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;

Gives exercise to faith and love,

Brings every blessing from above.

*Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;

Prayer makes the Christian’s armor bright;

And Satan trembles, when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees.*

While Moses stood with arms spread wide,

Success was found on Israel’s side;

But when through weariness they failed,

That moment Amalek prevailed.

Have you no words? Ah, think again,

Words flow apace when you complain;

And fill your fellow creature’s ear

With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent,

To Heav’n in supplication sent;

Your cheerful song would oft’ner be,

Hear what the Lord has done for me

One Small Step

‘Five decades ago tomorrow, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the powdery surface of the moon in humankind’s first ever journey from one world to another’ Source - New York Times Friday 19th July 2019

This is a quite amazing statement in so many ways. Firstly, it’s true. Neil Armstrong was the first human to go from earth to the moon. What a celebration of the intelligence and tenacity of mankind! The planning, skill, relentless attention to detail and investment that made this trip possible was outstanding. 

The world’s longest sea crossing bridge

In October 2019 the BBC reported, ‘Chinese President Xi Jinping has officially opened the world's longest sea crossing bridge, nine years after construction first began. Including its access roads, the bridge spans 55km (34 miles) and connects Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The bridge cost about $20bn (£15.3bn) and should have opened in 2016. Construction has been dogged by safety issues and at least 18 workers have died on the project, officials say’.

D Day Landing June 6th

June 6^th was a very special day for the veterans of the D Day landing in Normandy.  The veterans were there to commemorate the invasion of France to defeat the Nazi enemy and to liberate the people of France. Seventy five years ago thousands of young men died on the five beaches where the allied forces landed and today's veterans went back to Sword Beach, Normandy to remember the sacrifice of their comrades on that day.  Two of those veterans, one aged 95 years old, the other 94 years old, who had parachuted into Normandy on D Day jumped again this year (in tandem with an instructor) from the Dakota aircraft to the same area. What memories that would bring back!  

Are you affected by the weather?

What was the first thing you noticed this morning when you got up? Maybe I should reword that. I am not thinking about your beautiful spouse or children. My question really is – did you notice if it was sunny or rainy? Did the weather annoy you or concern you?

Passed By

Some summers are really a bit of a non-event. I’ll not go into the precise statistics but it seems that often summers come and go with little evidence that we actually had one.

Life is like that for a lot of us. Some people feel that it has passed them by. The dreams of yesterday never quite became the reality of today. The wish list remained just that – a wish list. If only.  Life need not be like that. I believe that God’s desire for humanity is to lift our gaze from the mundane things of life and to give us hope; but more of that in a moment.

Prime Minister’s Questions

PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTIONS  

P.M.Q’S or Prime Ministers Questions are heard at midday each Wednesday for half an hour when Parliament is sitting.  The leader of the opposition can ask six questions, sometimes a red herring is slipped in to mislead or misdirect the Prime Minister.  Most questions are direct, some rhetorical and others take the shape of “W.H” questions.  The latter is frequently used by journalists when a question is prefixed by What, Who, Where, When, Why and How.  The newsmen borrowed this structure from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Six honest serving men”.  If only in politics honesty was the motive and driving force, questions might get answered more positively and outcomes more beneficial. 

God cares for you

Does God Care about us?  Stephen points out that God has time for each one of us. He cares about each one of us personally, we simply need to come to Him. 

Does God Care?

This time of the year can be a lonely time for many people! Everyone has their family, or do they? There are a lot of people about who are very private and keep themselves to themselves. They would not trouble anyone with their problems and would not presume that anyone else is interested.

I have news for anyone who is reading this who thinks like that. I know someone who is interested in you; the Lord Jesus. He is recorded as saying in the Gospel of John – ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly‘.

Jesus is Interested in You

The Lord Jesus is personally interested in each one of us. For no other reason than He wants the best for us! If you doubt that then read one of the four Gospels in the New Testament part of the Bible. The record about Jesus says that ‘He went about doing good‘. For three years for He dispensed the blessing and forgiveness of God to the people He met. He healed them both physically and spiritually. By doing this He was proving that God is interested. That God is caring! That God has time for you! Even His amazing miracles demonstrate that God cares. The one who can heal the body can save the soul!

Come to Jesus

You can come to Him quietly, by praying to Him, wherever you are. We have all sinned against God and need His forgiveness. When we agree with God that we have disobeyed His commandments and ask for His forgiveness then He will forgive.

Contact me if you are not sure how to come to Jesus.

Why and How Should I Come to Jesus?

Why and How you may ask?

Why – because we are in danger. God is just and must judge wrong. Our wrongdoing has consequences because breaking God’s law is damaging. Just as fire burns so sin hurts and has ongoing consequences. This is why we need God’s help. The Bible states that God ‘is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance‘.

How – God can save us from the consequence of sin because His Son, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Bible says ‘Christ died for the ungodly‘. He died for you, and I, and can forgive us because He took the punishment for sin. Jesus was sinless and so was qualified to pay the price on our behalf.

 

You Will be Forgiven

When you trust Lord Jesus Christ with your life and soul you will be forgiven – why not believe today? It works – He saved me and has been part of my life for fifty two years now. 

Stephen Baker

You can listen to podcasts from Stephen’s  program, “Life Questions,” by clicking here. We encourage you to visit Stephen’s website at: www.seekthetruth.org.uk, where you can access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Contact Info

Life is full of questions and often the answers are difficult. Stephen Baker seeks to answer various questions about life and faith using the Bible as his only source. Listen to Stephen’s show, “Life Questions,” on HopeStreamRadio as he tackles the challenge of life questions.

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You Might Also Enjoy 

The First Step – Believe in Jesus

The Crucifixion

Do We Dispute God?- Learning About How We Can Come to Jesus

Adam and Eve – We all Need God’s Intervention

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You May Also Enjoy These Podcasts:

Stephen Baker – Can Religion Save Me?

Shane Johnson – A Love Like His

Tim Lunnon – The Journey

Brenda Wood – What is Bulimia?

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Images Courtesy of:

Lonely woman   – geralt

Woman on Train – cocoparissiene

Praying Woman – Pexels

Read Bible  – Free-Photos

Bible Reading Plan – BibleReading

FILED UNDER: FAITH, SALVATIONTAGGED WITH: COME TO JESUS, FAITH, FORGIVEN, GOD'S FORGIVENESS, LONELINESS, PRAYER, SALVATION

Keep on reading!!

In Western culture, we almost take the ability to read for granted! Reading is such a basic requirement for life. 

The fact you understand what I am talking about in this article means that you can read! Essentially, it means that you can translate the squiggles and strokes on the page. If I am incapable of writing well or of expressing my ideas then you may read the words but have no idea what I'm trying to say. Therefore, reading with understanding is vital.