Walking free from Prison

 

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What a moment it must be for a prisoner when, at last, the penalty for his or her crime has been paid in full, and he or she can walk free and enjoy liberty that has been rightly denied him or her for months or years! To feel the fresh breezes of freedom and know that not another moment will be spent behind bars!

Conversely, what a horrendous moment it must be when, after examining the evidence presented, a verdict is reached, guilt is established, and the sentence is passed! It may mean a long term in prison, deprived of freedom, or in some countries, the death penalty may be the fearful price to pay. Even in our lax society, where standards have dropped alarmingly, it is recognised that certain crimes merit severe punishment.

Lost & Found!

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A man had a hundred sheep and lost one. A woman had ten silver coins and lost one. A father had two sons and lost one. I think we have all had that horrible feeling when we discover that we’ve lost something. 
 
What a sense of relief when you find it at last. You always find it in the last place you look!  If it’s a door key or a bank card, that could be a big problem, but what a delight to find something, even when it is less important.
 
The hundred sheep, the ten silver coins, the one son, all appear in a story Jesus told one day – it’s worth reading again in Luke chapter 15. Great efforts were made to find what was lost, and great joy when it was found. Whether it was a 1% loss or a 10% loss or a 50% loss, the joy of finding was so real it had to be shared with others.

Whining about the weather!

When it is cold - we complain that the weather is terrible and wonder why we do not live in a hotter climate.

When it is hot - we wonder why we ever moaned and often find that the heat is more than we can cope with.

Are we ever happy we all ask each other!

The problem is one of contentment. It is great when you meet someone who is truly content and happy. Funnily enough contented people are often the ones who do not have a lot of this world's goods. They have found peace in spite of what they have, not because of what they have.

How about you and me; are we content? When the Lord Jesus Christ was on this planet He was content. He knew that He was facing certain death, in fact, He knew before He left heaven for earth, that He would be crucified, but He talked about His 'joy' being in His disciples, John 15:11, and His wish was for His disciples 'joy' to be full.

The Lord Jesus came into the world 'that we might have life' and the Bible expressly states that Jesus did not come to 'condemn the world' but 'that the world through him might be saved'.

Can I ask you a question? Do you know this type of contentment and joy? If not; you can do. For the Bible states that 'whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved'.

Why not bow your head and speak to God about it now!

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

International Dark Skies Reserve

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‘Did you hear about the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales becoming the 5^thInternational Dark Skies Reserve? The organisation that has designated the Beacons in this way is the International Dark-Sky Association, which claims to be the only organization fighting ‘to preserve the night’ as they put it. The four other Dark Sky reserves they have previously selected are in Exmoor in England, Mont-Mégantic in Canada, NamibRand Nature Reserve in Africa, and Aoraki Mackenzie in New Zealand. 

 

The Park has been designated at the ‘Silver Tier’ level meaning that while the skies above the park do have some light pollution, but they are still remarkably dark, making it an excellent place to see the Milky Way and other night-sky objects. Specially adapted street lights in the Park ensure that light is not directed upwards into the sky. 

 

In the 500 or so sq. miles of the National park, sheep outnumber people by 30 to 1, but the National Park authority want more people to visit, especially staying overnight and enjoying the night sky. Visit their breconbeacons.org website to enjoy an amazing new video of a time-lapsed night sky, showing the stars in an apparent circular orbit. As a youngster, I often walked around in and cycled through the Brecon Beacons, but I didn’t appreciate the dark nights then!

Crossing the Channel

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On the 14th of December 2022, we heard yet again the tragic news of migrants drowning in the icy waters of the English Channel as they were making the perilous crossing from France to the United Kingdom. On the 27th of November 2021, twenty-seven migrants perished in one of the worst maritime disasters ever in the Channel.

What is the attraction that lures many to pay extortionate prices to criminal gangs, to climb on board an over-crowded, unseaworthy dinghy and attempt to reach the other side of arguably the busiest and most dangerous stretch of water in the world? Some, admittedly, are merely economic migrants, but others are eager to escape war, genocide, persecution and famine to enjoy an easier life in what they perceive to be a better land. Illegal migration has become a problem of major proportions, and attempts to satisfactorily solve the problem have failed and floundered, with around forty thousand arriving illegally in the UK in 2022. Some gain asylum in the UK and live comfortably, but others discover that their dream was just an illusion, and it quickly became a nightmare.

Safety First

Some while ago, flights in and out of Europe and elsewhere were greatly disrupted because vast clouds of ash were thrown into the sky by the eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland. The various bodies that control air travel decided that it would have been too dangerous for aircraft to fly through this ash since there was the possibility that the aircraft engines may have been damaged and even ceased working, as well as the fact that the pilots could not see. There were some who criticised the decision to stop all flights on the basis that the scientific evidence was flimsy. Others considered the problem from an economic perspective and since the loss of revenue was not sustainable, they said that flights should recommence. However, the overriding consideration had to be that of safety, and this gave bias to every decision - it must be safety first.

When pondering things eternal, this also must be the overriding consideration. Every person is in danger of perishing for eternity under the righteous judgment of a Holy God, Whose character demands that He must and will punish sin. It is because of our own personal sin that we are separated from God, "your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" Isaiah 59.2. This is why we need to be rescued, made safe or, in the word used in the Bible, "saved".

To be saved is not an option; it is a command, "we must be saved" Acts 4.12. The glory of the gospel message is that we can be saved, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" 1 Timothy 1.15; "the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" Luke 19.10; "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" John 3.17. The gift of God’s only begotten Son displayed God’s love for lost and fallen humanity, and He devised the means of salvation that allows Him to forgive our sins and save us on a basis that does not compromise His holy character. That meant that His sinless and holy Son had to bare the judgment due to sinners when He hung crucified on Calvary’s cross. It is for this reason that He is called "Saviour" - because He saves, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" Luke 2.11.

Perhaps some think that they can obtain salvation by their own merit, acts of kindness, philanthropy, religious observances and many other man-made schemes and devices. Let the word of God speak, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2.8,9.

The question that needs to be addressed is, "Have I put safety first?" In other words, "Am I saved?" It will be sad in the extreme if some eruption of earthly emotion, religious fervour or whatever casts such a cloud across your mind that you can neither see nor think straight. How sad to have to cry for all eternity, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved" Jeremiah 8.20. God calls you to, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" Isaiah 45.22. Preachers instruct you to, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" Acts 16.30,31.

Used by kind permission of Assembly Testimony

For more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Don't waste my death!

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I was reading recently in the business section of The Daily Telegraph, the comments of the Royal Bank of Scotland boss John Hourican who has left his job, he was the Investment Banking boss and as he left his job he made this statement, “Don’t waste my death” as they ordered them to recognise public anger over libel scandal that led to his resignation.

Don’t waste my death. It made me think really about the fact there are people in this world’s history and their death has been for a purpose. Most of us don’t actually realise it but our own death will have a purpose. The Bible teaches that, “the wages of sin is death”a. 

The reason behind any individual’s death is the principle of sin and wrong doing. We don’t intentionally enter into it but as a result of one man’s sin, we are all condemned. Everyone of us practices sin and that corroborates and confirms the fact we were born as sinners, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”b and our death is a direct result, there’s a correlation between our behaviour and our moral standing before God and our sin, which ends in death.

My message really isn’t to point out to you that your death is significant though it’s not the end I must say, it’s the death of your body. There is a moral death, that’s with you in life, dead in sin. That's the death that’s separating you eternally from the presence of God, who is life and light and liberty and joy and peace. That’s something you don’t want. 

But I would like you to think about these words for a second or two, because I could imagine my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ saying, “don’t waste My death”. The Lord Jesus Christ came from Heaven to earth, He came and lived a very humble and ordinary life upon this earth. He lived His days upon the earth showing to men the love and kindness of God. He died upon a cross and took the judgement, the legal consequences of sin on our behalf so that we might be forgiven. But if we refuse to believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God, if we refuse to accept His forgiveness, if we refuse to accept the eternal life that He offers, we waste His death.

Can I say to you today? Don’t waste the death of Jesus, trust Him, confess your sin to Him, accept the eternal life He offers to you. 

a-Romans 6v23
b-Romans 3v23 

Are you Jesus?

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A disabled boy on crutches was walking with a few packages under his arm. It was with great difficulty he painstakingly made his way to the railway station. All the people around him were rushing up to the station, and one of them knocked down the boy. His packages scattered onto the road. The man who knocked him down was angry with the boy for walking clumsily.

Another gentleman who had been walking behind him picked up the boy and the packages, put his crutches in place and even slipped a little money into his hand. With a kind smile, he went on his way. The boy, who had not known such kindness, called out to the gentleman inquiring, "Mister, please, sir, are you Jesus?"

"No," replied the Good Samaritan, "but I am one of His followers."

There is an old song we used to sing as young people -

'to be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,
all I ask is to be like Him,
all through life's journey,
from earth to glory (heaven),
all I ask is to be like Him'.

The good book says, 'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you'.

If you have received the kindness of God, pass it on.

For more posts and info visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Gratitude

The Oxford English Dictionary says of gratitude, ‘The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness’.

It is commonplace in many homes at this time of the year for children to write their thank-you letters to family and friends for the recent gifts received. It is courteous to show gratitude for the generosity of those who think kindly of us and give us an acceptable gift out of love and friendship.

Material value of the gift should not necessarily flavour the receiver’s thoughts about the giver, but rather that someone had expressed their thoughtful feelings towards us, and that for this we are most thankful.

Paul wrote to Timothy and said that in the last days, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” (2 Timothy 3:2) There are some ugly characteristics in that list of behaviour, selfish to the core with never a kind thought to anyone else. Unfortunately, this is the day that we are living in, so we should be more grateful for those who wear their heart on their sleeve and express their love in kind ways.

Being thankful and appreciative is not restricted to a particular season but should be daily seen as part of the makeup of our life.

I am so grateful that back in 1957 a man was prepared to cycle fifteen miles from Luton to the RAF station at Henlow, Bedfordshire, to come to Billet 454 and tell us airmen about the Bible, about the Son of God who came to bring salvation to sinners such as us. That man saw eight out of eighteen men that lived in that billet converted to Christ. Some of those men (including me) saw their wife saved too. That preacher’s name was Gordon Brind and he is in Heaven now. Down through the years I have thanked the Lord many times for Gordon’s selflessness and love for sinners, and failingly tried to emulate him.

Anyone that reads my column ‘Light Reflections’ in The Light newspaper will observe that every article is 454 words long, a weekly acknowledgement of what took place in Billet 454. Praise God!

George Hodge assured me that he had not edited one word out of the articles I send him, even though my grammar is not right on some occasions. To do this for me for 21 years deserves a public mention of gratitude to him for this good thing.

Looking in the Bible at the term ‘good thing’ I discovered that the first mention is in Deuteronomy 26:11 and says, “And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house” God is good and His character is to give, He gave His only begotten Son to die for us, that is the extent of His giving, there is nothing greater than this. When people receive Him as their Saviour their house and family becomes a joyous place to be. James 1:17 reads, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” There is no inconsistency with God, He is reliably good, never changing, One to whom we can trust for our souls salvation.

In John ch.9 we read of a man that was born blind. I will pause there to ask the question, “Do we ever thank the Lord for the precious gift of sight, and other faculties that He has given us?” The poor man that John tells us about had never been able to see, he had not lost his sight because of disease. He did not know colours or distances because he had never been able to see anything at all, he lived in permanent darkness. How blessed it must have been for him when Jesus sent him to the Pool of Siloam to wash the clay from his eyes that He had put on them. The man went, he washed and came back seeing. As that man stooped to wash his sight came, and the first thing he saw was his own face. He saw himself as he really was. That is what happens when we do what God tells us to do, we see things as God sees them and we see ourselves as we really are. He got his precious sight and wended his way home and the neighbours first saw the change in him, but some could not believe that Jesus had done this miracle. His parents told the Jews, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.” The religionists excommunicated him, but “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.” That man showed his gratitude to the Saviour in that act of worship, and there are millions of people since that have done the same.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

What would Paul himself thank the Lord for? Top of his list would be his life changing experience on the road to Damascus, and then the many people who he led to Christ when he preached the gospel in so many places. Each of the Apostles would have cause to thank the Lord for, even being counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.

If we could ask William Carey what he continually thanked the Lord for, would it be for the ability to translate the Bible into thirty-five languages in order that thousands might believe and be saved.

How would George Muller show his gratitude to the Lord for providing means for thousands of orphans to be housed, fed and educated in the ways of God? Or Livingston for opening up Africa to the gospel. Each with composer A.P.Gibbs could say,

‘ O Lord, from my heart I do thank Thee For all Thou hast borne in my room, Thine agony, dying, unsolaced, Alone in the darkness of doom, That I, in the glory of heaven, Forever and ever might be - A thousand, a thousand thanksgivings, I bring, blessed Savior, to Thee!’

HAPPY NEW YEAR and may the Lord bless you through 2012.

Written by Stan Burditt

Listen to brief explanations about life and faith in God at www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Is there such a thing as truth?

     What is Truth?

By Stephen Baker

What is truth? Is truth subjective? Can we know the truth? What does the Bible teach about truth?

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’s questions.

What Is Truth?

The concept of truth has clearly fallen on hard times.

Pilate posed one of the most profound and eternally significant questions in the Bible. He asked Jesus in His final hour, “What is truth?” It was a cynical response to what Jesus had just revealed: “I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.” Two thousand years later, the whole world breathes Pilate’s cynicism, with good cause.