Nahum 1:7 & Joshua 1:9

So much for me keeping my blog up to date😄, but I do realise that the Lord guides me in what to write about and it is not something I should just do for the sake of it. After all the whole idea of this blog was really a spiritual journal for myself. Please also not the August main picture above (Romans 12:16) is not the KJV version and just a summary of the verse, however I could not resist the picture.

Today's verse of the day on the phone was this one from Nahum. When Lance read it  out to me it struck me as such a comforting verse, that no matter what our situation is, even in the moment of death that the Lord knows those who trust in him.

The verse of the day on my watch is Joshua 1:9 and perfectly compliments the other verse in only a way that God can do. The Lord is so amazing to us and gives us so many promises throughout the whole bible that even in times of absolute distress or discomfort he is with us and our great comforter.

It is no coincidence that these 2 verses came up at the same time today and as a result they both make great verses of the week for my blog. These are two good verses to have at a Christians funeral as they cement how we do not need to fear or be afraid as our hope is set on the Lord, however "the fear of the Lord is the beginnig of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10)

It was a real encouragement to us last week when our brother and sister in Christ (Simon & Ruth) paid an importu visit to us. Whilst it was under sad circumstances it was wonderful to share in fellowship with them and then we were discussing how the Lord is always with us and comforts us in times of distress or when we are feeling really down. He also provides friends to help during these times as well and Christians can be there for one another.

I am so thankful that the Lord chose me and that is not to sound arrogant but just very truly grateful.

  

Jeremiah 13:4 & Mark 1:6

For some reason I keep thinking I will have more time to add to my blog, then time seems to just fly by. This morning I was reading from Jeremiah and came across a verse that captured my interest. I then went on to read the first chapter of Mark to find what appears to me to bear significance to what I read in Jeremiah. God is truly amazing on how he expounds his word to us. Therefore as it is has been a while I am having 2 verses of the week this week.

I am no biblical scholar and even my KJV bible did not have Jeremiah in the footnote of Mark or vice-versa, however interestingly in Mark 1's footnote it quotes Zechariah 13:4 which is around prophecy, but I do wonder if it should have been Jeremiah 13:4.

Even though I have read both verses on many occasions I had never made the link before, but when reading them straight after each other it is so clear how the Old & New Testaments work so well together forming the whole word of God, with clear links. This is not a link that I had previously connected but when you read further in to Jeremiah 13, God speaks very clearly to how the girdle represents his people cleaving to him.

I do consider this description in Mark 1:6 also demonstrates how John The Baptist cleaved to the Lord and was chosen by him to pave the way for our Lord and Saviour.

Unfortunately the house of Israel and Judah did not listen to the Lord, hence the whole example of Jeremiah burying the girdle and finding it to be marred.

The lesson I get from this is that we should cleave to the Lord in all ways, giving him all the honour, glory and praise, listening to him and hearing what he says to prevent us from straying from the path and to remain faithful and a "holy people". As sinners this is not easy, but I am so thankful that God sent his son to save me from sin so that I can be a new creation and hope to cleave to the Lord as instructed in both Jeremiah 13 and Mark 1.

It does not matter how many times we read the bible the Lord can still open our eyes to something we may not remember or considered before, he is truly amazing in how he works. 

Even though the summer is going quicker than I had realised I hope to add more to my blog over the next few weeks so look out for future articles.
 

Thoughts - Give Thanks To The Lord

I have not had much time for writing posts recently and realise it has been well over a month since my last post. I hope now to have some more time to get back on track, espescially as it is half term. Look out for more upcoming posts on animals and bible verses.

I thought now was a good time for an update on the last "thoughts" post where I mentioned a planning proposal on the land behind us. It is still not official yet but it is looking promising that the said proposal has been refused.

This whole situation has made me realise that we must give thanks to God in all things, even when it does not go our way. We will face many challenges through life but must remain faithful to the Lord. It can often feel that the big companies and those with money behind them will often win but as a Christian I know that God has the victory overall. I also thank the Lord for helping me through another year as it is my birthday week. 

Today it was announced that the Brexit party has gained the most MEP votes for the UK, which I am very pleased about; it is good to see that finally there may be a big shake up of our government and who people are voting for. I have said recently how Nigel Farage kind of reminds me of a non-puritan version of Oliver Cromwell. He seems to be for the people rather than a politican who is so out of touch with what the general public think.

I do believe it is biblical to vote as it important that we encourage those who are trying to keep our country on track morally and consider sovereignity and democracy. Being part of the EU I have seen how our nation has become more liberal and secularised and fallen in line with EU law that is quite in opposition to God's law. With this whole situation our country now has an opportunity to return to withdraw from the EU and get our laws more back in line with biblical standards.  As in paragraph 3 it is starting to feel that the "little people" (not talking about my height😄) are finally getting noticed.

I know whatever happens that the Lord guides us in everything, and as one of my favourite chapters of the bible states:

Thoughts - Life without God is meaningless.

This post may be a difficult read for some  but it is a subject that was addressed many times in  the bible and one that if more people considered then I believe there would be many more Christians in the world; the subject of life after death. My thoughts this week  have been drawn to people who die without knowing the Lord as their Saviour. This is quite a terrifying thought to think of eternity separate from God and to be cast in to the lake of fire.

Many people go through life not considering what will happen to them after they die. Filling their days with worldly pursuits to keep their mind occupied, but as Ecclesiastes says everything is meaningless without God, a chasing after the wind. It is because of God that we are even here in the first place. So often today you see people set their sites on what to achieve in the here and now rather than considering the state of their soul. This attitude and pressure to achieve, have more and better, puts a strain on people and relationships and can result in considerable stress.

In my last post I mentioned about people being driven to suicide as this seems to be the only way out for them; if we believe the bible to be true then actually we are merely passing through this life for an eternal life and will be held accountable in the next one. Suicide and assisted suicide is a way for man to even control his own death and decide when he wants to die. However, this is not our choice and God is sovereign and in control of all things. God promises to love those who love him and gives purpose to our lives.

Whilst to some Ecclesiastes may come across as fairly negative, it has the underlying promise and assurance that only God can give us. Reading the book of Ecclesiastes has helped me understand human nature more and how a life without God truly is meaningless, regardless on how much we achieve in it.        

         

Have you trusted in the Lord? Have you cast all your burdens on him? If more people did this then they would not feel the need to bottle everything up and then take their own lives. How great our Lord is that he suffered and died for us and still we can cast all our burdens on him; spending eternity without sorrow or crying.The alternative is to deny God and spend eternity in suffering, which as mentinoned earlier is quite a terrifying thought. Thankfully the Lord has been gracious to me and opened my eyes to this and I hope and pray others have these thoughts to. This is a positive message and one that can bring comfort to those in trouble of mind and soul.

Thoughts - New Estate/Heavenly Home

This is my first thoughts post and may come across as me rambling on about events that have irritated me. but I hope that these posts will help me reflect on each situation as they occur. It is important that we reflect regularly and is one of the reasons I set up this blog.

My thoughts this week have been rather dominated by some rather concerning news that planning permission is being sought to build 130 houses, creating a new estate directly behind where we live.

Lance and I do face a big challenge as Christians to act in a holy way over this matter and pray that we do remain calm and patient when campaigning against this proposal. We know that God's will, will be done and as my verse of the week is Romans 8:28 we know that we cannot come to harm over this. I also read an article this morning that quoted James 1:2-3 which reminded me how we should behave in difficult times.

Being a sinner this is easier said than done and I find my emotions getting the better of me far more than I should, however we must take our burdens to God and not try to handle them in our own sinful way.

Lance and I have lived in our house for almost 27 years and have been wonderfully blessed with an excellent location that has fields,orchards,paddocks one side and a small town with a train station the other. Despite not having any reformed churches in our local area we have never wanted to move due to being in such a prime location with all the amenities and green land we need. The council in the past have implied the land behind us would not be built upon. There was a proposal a few years ago to build on the other side of the main road to us, but this got declined. Two years ago a new build started south-east of our back garden but was still further up the road. However, this has been a very noisy build and despite being a 5 minute drive away we hear the noise of it all the time.

The proposed development is to the left. You can see how narrow this road is.

 
No-one ever wants new builds in their immediate vicinity. I understand new builds are inevitable due to the government objectives to build a certain amount of affordable housing; however it certainly feels like the South-East of England is becoming like one giant concrete jungle with less and less green space.So much of the flora and fauna has been destroyed due to man's selfishness and need for bigger and better and I believe has led to a more materialistic society that has pushed God out. It is a symbol of our times that people's standards and consideration of others has declined considerably.

As Christians we are merely passing through this life and can be reassured that our heavenly home will be eternal. Our Lord has already set Heaven and the New Earth up to be perfect for us and we do not need to worry or be concerned, but our worldly minds find this hard to remember at times.