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

I did not go for the free Coffee and Cake

Today I paid a visit to our Sustainable Living Centre in Kaitaia.

The Sustainable Living Centre

One day I must go again and look at the massive range of products on offer.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTRE (Sustainable Products)

SUSTAINABLE means “capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing ecological damage,” says the Collins dictionary.

The Sustainable Living Centre

ECO SHOP (Eco Products)

ECOLOGICAL means “intended to benefit or protect the environment,” says the Collins dictionary.

The Sustainable Living Centre

THE EARTH IS GOD’S PROPERTY. WE ARE HIS STEWARDS. WHAT IS A STEWARD? A STEWARD IS MANAGING THE PROPERTY OF SOMEBODY ELSE.

The Sustainable Living Centre

At the beach

“My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.” – Isaiah 26:9

Here we are told a very short night story.

The world has night stories. How are they? They are gruesome.

The Bible tells us night stories. How are they? They are glorious.

A. IT WAS NIGHT,

when ABRAM doubted and the LORD told him in Genesis 15:5 “‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.'” Then he said to him, “‘So shall your offspring be.'” What did Abram do? It says in Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

What a night, when the heart trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ.

B. IT WAS NIGHT,

when the EGYPTIANS who bothered the people of God, got into real trouble, but the Israelites went into freedom singing. The pillar of fire gave them light. Read Exodus chapter 12.

C. IT WAS NIGHT,

when SAMUEL answered, “‘Speak, for your servant is listening,'” when the LORD called him.

What a night, when the voices of the people are quiet and they are hearing the voice of the LORD. You find all this in First Samuel chapter three.

D. IT WAS NIGHT,

when the SHEPHERDS hurried to Bethlehem, to search for the Saviour. Please read Luke 2:8-20.

E. IT WAS NIGHT,

when the DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS ran to Jerusalem full of joy with the message, “‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.'” Please read Luke 24:34.

F. IT WAS NIGHT,

when PAUL AND SILAS  praised the Lord at midnight in prison. Please read Acts 16:16-40

What kind of night is that, we have been reading about at the beginning? It is a night when the heart is touched by the Living God. It is a holy night.

New LIFE in God begins.

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Notes taken from, “LASS DEIN HEIL UNS SCHAUEN” by Wilhelm Busch, page 287.

“Describe yourself in three words,” is the first of the ten questions.

The Open BIBLE

The “10 QUESTIONS”  are in the paper today, Northern Advocate, Wednesday, November 4, 2015.

Someone in the community is asked questions like the one already mentioned. Other questions are:

“What is the most important advice you have been given?”

“As a child, who or what did you want to be when you grew up?”

“What would you describe as the highlight of your career to date?”

I am especially interested in question number 5:

“What is the one thing you could not live without each day?”

I would have difficulties answering question number one, but I have no difficulties answering the question:

“What is the one thing you could not live without each day?”

Here is my answer: I could not live without my Bible and reading it and without talking to my heavenly Father.

“But the Word of God continued to increase and spread.” – Acts 12:24

At the time of the Apostles the Word of God increased and spread in three ways:

A. Those who were Christians already grew in their faith.

Spreading the GOSPEL in Thailand

Picture / Alan Collingwood

The Lord gave them preachers with special gifts who were able to lead them deeper into the Word of God.

B. The Word of God continued to spread among the JEWS.

In Acts 13:5,14 we are told that the messengers of the Gospel went first of all to the Jewish Synagogue when they came to a new place.

What is the meaning for us? We must pray for the Jews. Read Romans 11:25 until the end of the chapter.

C.  The Mission among the HEATHEN began.

In Acts chapter 13 at the beginning it says that Barnabas and Paul are sent off to the heathen to proclaim the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And right at the start of the missionary journey the proconsul Sergius Paulus came to a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that was the beginning of the Mission to the heathen.

Blessed are those who help to increase and spread the GOSPEL.

It is really interesting to read what people do in order to start a new year on a clean slate.

They know that they are sinners.

As a symbol of tossing away their sin, they throw breadcrumbs into the water (river).

That is the ancient Jewish custom of Tashlich.

A Clean Slate

In the magazine Israel and Christians today, New Zealand October 2015, is a picture of UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Israeli envoy Ron Prosor casting their sins into Turtle Bay. The article is called “ECI Co – Hosts First Ever Tashlich Ceremony at the UN.”

In his book UNTO THE HILLS Billy Graham writes also about “a clean slate,” and he says that God is wiping our slate clean  when we are coming to Him and when we are confessing our sins.

In First John 1:9 the Bible says:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”