Today I received a letter from our MP for Northland.

I have known for a long time that the Lord Jesus Christ is my advocate, but through reading the letter I am learning that an electorate MP is not only involved in representation and assistence, but also in ADVOCACY.

It says there that an electorate MP “speaks  to MINISTERS and GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS on behalf of people who want to make things happen.”

It says in the Bible:

“But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence – JESUS CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUS ONE. He is is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” – First John 2:1,2

It was an encouragement to find the following photo in the local paper today, The Northland Age, under the heading “This is our PLACE”. Readers are invited to submit photos depicting the Far North’s special qualities.

Type HISTORY OF THE NORTH  OF NEW ZEALAND into Search and read more.

“With the advent of Twitter and Facebook, we have entered the Too-Much-Information Age,” I am reading in the Coffee News. (Vol 139:3)

• How many tweets are sent every second?

The answer is 97.000!

• How many  Facebook  applications are installed every day?

The answer is  over 20 Million.

• How many emails are sent every day?

The answer is 294 Billion. (Love RED, Issue 9 – 09/2012)

“This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth.” Keith Green

There are lost souls on this earth and there are saved souls on this earth.

You are either a lost soul or you are a saved soul.

I know that I am a saved soul, saved by grace. Ephesians 2:5 and Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, …”

SAVED SOULS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST SOULS!

PERSONAL EVANGELISM  was one subject taught at the Bible school in Germany I went to. But it was not the teacher who taught the subject – Personal Evangelism – who was well known for P.E.

The teacher who was well known for life – style evangelism was Ernie Klassen. And I thank the Lord for him. Two slender volumes written by him are in my possession, YOU NEVER MEET ANYONE BY CHANCE and SMILE, LAUGH AND LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE (reflections on life-style evangelism).

You should read the booklets. They encourage you to be a personal evangelist. Read also “Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman” in John chapter four.

In a GREENPEACE publication (Winter 2012) I find on the back page the following quote by Mother Teresa: 

“DO NOT WAIT FOR LEADERS,

DO IT ALONE, PERSON TO PERSON.”

“New Zealanders have an unenviable reputation as being amongst the worst abusers of children, … ” – Mike Sabin MP ( The Northland Age, Thursday, October 18, 2012 )

The government is taking action. Last week the government released the White Paper on vulnerable children.

The White paper aims to protect children. The White Paper is for children.

When I read about the White Paper for children, a whole book came to my mind. That book is not only for the children, but also for parents and every citizen of New Zealand, and every person in this world.

THAT BOOK IS THE BIBLE, THE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD.

This is what I would do if I had the money:

I would have the TEN COMMANDMENTS on the TV maybe twentyfour times a day until everyone could say them without reading them.

Here they are:

1.  “You shall have no other gods before me.”

2.  “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of  anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”

3. “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, …”

4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

5.  “Honor your father and your mother, … ”

6.  “You shall not murder.”  

7.  “You shall not commit adultery.”

8. “You shall not steal.”

9.  “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

10.  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Of course, a campaign like that must be powered by prayer!

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life …” – Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech.

I am reading that quote by Steve Jobs in the book STEVE JOBS The man who thought different by Karen Blumenthal (A Biography).

I have been thinking a lot about ” … LIVING SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE …” ever since I read those words for the first time and I have also looked those words up on the internet.

I have come to the conclusion – and put me right, if I am wrong – that it is a different way of saying: Don’t follow someone else.

BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I FOLLOW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Listen to what the apostle Paul says in First Corinthians 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Read also Matthew 4:19; Matthew 8:22; John 21:19; Philippians 3:17 and Second Thessalonians 3:9.

“THE DAILY BRIEFING,” I am reading in THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD on page two. (October 11, 2012) Listed are the “Key things to know before you start the day,” under the headings “News”, “World” and “Entertainment”.

When I read “key things to know before you start the day”, I asked myself “What are the key things  to know before I start the day?”

Here they are. I find them in the Bible, the word of the Living God. In Psalm 139 in the Old Testament I am reading at the beginning

THAT THE LORD KNOWS ME.

1. He knows when I sit.

2. He knows when I rise.

3. He knows my thoughts from afar.

4. He knows when I leave the house.

5. He knows when I am lying down on my bed in my home.

6. The fact is that he is familiar with all my ways.

7. And before a word comes out of my mouth he knows the word completely.

And yes, I can only say with David, who wrote Psalm 139 “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to lofty for me to attain.”

The “Key things to know before you start the day” in THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD are changing every day, but the “Key things to know before I start the day” in the Bible never change. They are always the same.