At the Beach

“Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.” – Isaiah 52:11

In the Old Covenant Aaron and his sons were carrying the “vessels of the LORD.”

Is this word for us today?

It is for all those who are true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In First Peter 2:9 we read: “But you are a chosen people, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

All those who belong to the New Covenant are carrying “the vessels of the LORD.”

A.  LET US PURIFY OURSELVES FROM THE LOVE OF MONEY.

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” it says in First Timothy 6:10.

The Bible tells us also what the destiny of those is whose mind is on earthly things.

We must always remember our heavenly calling.

B.  LET US PURIFY OURSELVES FROM DISPUTES WITH BROTHERS.

We don’t want to have anything to do with lawsuits. We belong to the Prince of Peace and we want to remember the words “Why not rather be wronged?” and “Why not rather be cheated?” (First Corinthians 6:7)

C. LET US PURIFY OURSELVES FROM SEXUAL IMMORALITY.

In his first letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul says in chapter five verse nine, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with immoral people,” and in verse ten he continues, “not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, …” In verse eleven of the same chapter he says, “But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater  or slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.”

D.  LET US PURIFY OURSELVES FROM LACK OF LOVE.

We experience the unsearchable Love of God in our Lord Jesus Christ. Is it there still possible for us to be without love? John 13:34,35; John 15:24

Pastor Wilhelm Busch, who worked in Essen/Germany many years ago tells the story about two women who were talking about a man in the neighbourhood and the things they said about him were not nice things. At the end of the conversation one of the women said, “And he wants to be a Christian.”

It is sad, when we call ourselves Christians and don’t live like Christians.

Let us ask the Lord to give us strength to purify ourselves.

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Notes taken from “LASS DEIN HEIL UNS SCHAUEN” by Wilhelm Busch, page 292.

KAITAIA & DISTRICT A&P SHOW: Wood Chopping

Reading the quote, “CHOP YOUR OWN WOOD, AND IT WILL WARM YOU TWICE,” by Henry Ford, made me think of the verse in the Bible, where it says, “FOR EVEN WHEN WE WERE WITH YOU, WE GAVE YOU THIS RULE: ‘IF A MAN WILL NOT WORK, HE SHALL NOT EAT.'” – Second Thessalonians 3:10

At the beach

“The best way to be missed when you’re gone is to stand for something when you are here,” says the author Seth Godin.

Looking for a certain hymn in one of our hymn books, I came across the hymn, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross!”
In the hymn book I am also told how the hymn came into being. A powerful preacher had a tragic accident and was dying and on his deathbed he was saying as his final statement, “Let us all stand up for Jesus.”

One of the ministers at his deathbed was the Rev. George Duffield. Inspired by the words, “Let us stand up for Jesus,” he wrote the hymn, “Stand up for Jesus.”

The hymn has three verses:

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey,” is the beginning of the second verse.

The last verse begins with, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long.”

“If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything!”

Many years ago you could see that sign at a church.

“Stand up, stand up, for Jesus!”

Te Ahu Centre

Yesterday I listened to a lecture on poverty and inequality. The lecturer was Bryan Bruce, an internationally acclaimed documentary maker.

The meeting was organised by QUAKERS IN AOTEAROA.

I learned more about the Quakers or the Religious Society of Friends. The founder, George Fox lived from 1624-1691 and I am reading that he was near his God.

THE CROSS

“Since then, no prophet has

Deuteronomy 34:10-12

Intr.:

risen in Israel like Moses,

A.  whom the LORD knew face  face,

B.  who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt –

a.  to Pharaoh and

b.  to all his officials and

c.  to his whole land.

End:

For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”

KAITAIA: Airport

“AIRPORTS SEE MORE SINCERE KISSES THAN WEDDING HALLS. THE WALLS OF HOSPITALS HAVE HEARD MORE PRAYERS THAN THE WALLS OF CHURCHES.” – Anonymous

WHANGAREI: Hospital

A beautiful Flower

“Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.”- Deuteronomy 34:7