Operation Holy Land 10 - Plastic People

When we are witnessing to “religious” people, Stephen’s response is a good model for us to follow.

They know the bible, they have heard the words. It is time to make it real.

Operation Holy land 9 - Positions

The way we chose people for a job is not how Christ choses people for ministry.

Our way is to look at someones skill set and give them a role that uses those skills. Gods way is to look at where someone is spiritually, then he gives them the skills needed for the task he has in mind. He may be preparing you for a task already, building those skills, but it is your spiritual life that is key, not your skill set.

God does uses farmers to grow food, musicians to play music, and so on, but faith comes first.

Operation Holy Land 8 - The mission

Jesus gave a mission to the disciples just before he left for heaven, his last words on Earth.  The same purpose is passed on to us.

Matthew 28:19-20  

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Operation Holy Land 7 - Visitation

Are you doing enough for Christ to annoy people? If not, then you probably aren't doing enough, or saying anything. I am likely to be arrested for preaching Christ? I doubt it, because the authorities of London have no idea that I am even preaching! Of course it is not our aim to grow notoriety, but it is always true that if you say nothing then you will upset no-one.

Operation Holy Land 5 - Boldness

Some of us are bold in speaking, but don’t know what to say. Some are not so bold, and don’t speak. In the end who bears witness to the greatness of God?

Ephesians 6:18-20

18)  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19)  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20)  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

It was very much on Paul’s heart, the same issue. He desired to speak boldly, and more than that, we need not just to open our mouths, but to make known the gospel.

Operation Holy Land - Facing persecution

Acts 4:13

13)  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Change

Composition

Courage

Commitment

Can people see that you have been with Jesus?

Operation Holy Land 3 - God's power, Man's witness

On a spiritual level this man’s life is the same as every living person in history. From birth we come into the world crippled and helpless.

Day after day we face life without Christ. Sitting at the gates of the Temple (Heaven) but unable to enter. Some never even go near, but others are seeking God. Like this man physically did, sitting as close as he could get to God’s presence, yet he could not get in by himself.

It is not in our power to gain entrance into God’s presence.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Unfortunately the last five minutes of this sermon did not record, however it is simply that the result was witness. Over five thousand were now in the church as a result of this demonstration of power.

Paul Davies - Cynical Unbelief

It is always a joy when Paul Davies (AEM) visits us. Here with news from Kosova, and a message from Mark 6. To quote Paul, "Jesus grew up on a building site", "as he returned home he faced cynical unbelief". What does this say about our witness?

Operation Holy Land - Peter in the pulpit

In our witness we must never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is central. We can, and must connect culturally to be heard, but it has to come back to the cross.

As Peter preached at the first ever outreach event of the church, let’s see what he said. It was certainly effective. 3000 people came to salvation that day. I don’t think any of us can say our witness has been that effective so we can learn a thing or two.

Operation Holy Land - The Plan

How did this group of fishermen, and whoever else had been following Jesus go from hiding in an upper room, to a group of bold speakers travelling worldwide spreading the gospel of Christ?

How do we go from being a small group of believers meeting each week in a hall in Bermondsey, to speaking the word of God boldly wherever he takes us?

James + Lori News from Albania (September 2014)

September 2014, prayer letter from Albania

 

Dear friends – greetings from Gjirokaster, Albania and love in Christ,

 

Our last news letter was back in June and as anticipated between then and now we had lots going on. Thank you to all who were praying for us over the past months. There has been a lot to be grateful for. The camps went really well and outreach in villages in the evenings was encouraging. As school term starts we are turning our attention to restarting weekly activities and following up on contacts made at camps.

 

Camps

Between the team here, we were involved in 10 weeks of camps. Thank God that over 400 children went through these. I had asked people to pray that we would get new children coming from rural areas – in the end we did indeed have a good number from villages.

5 of these were day camps (children coming in the daytime only) these were held in Gjirokaster, Tepelena and Ballsh. As well as being great fun, it was a joy to see children and teenagers hearing the Gospel for the first time.  Another camp was aimed at families and, although there were less numbers than anticipated, it was very significant for several families in particular who reacted positively to the Gospel presentations and asked more questions. The involvement of volunteers from the UK was essential to make these camps happen. A big thank you to those who came and helped.

Shaun Thompson has put together a more detailed report on these camps - please ask me if you’d like it.

 

Open air outreach

We spent several evenings doing open-air evangelism over the Summer as we’ve done previous years. We went back to the village of Chepun where we held an activity over 2 nights. This year less adults turned out for this though there were many children. In the village of Zhulat, high in the mountains, volunteers from the UK helped us sing some songs and Shaun shared a message with those who gathered. This went really well and the men of the village hardly let us go afterwards! The villagers of Zhulat are mainly ‘Bektashi-muslims’ and in the past though friendly, have been cautious. It’s great to see them being much warmer to us and our message – but of course we long to see conversions. Several other villages were visited over the course of the summer but a particularly memorable evening was spent in one of the poorer neighbourhoods of Gjirokaster. Over the past year Petrit has been starting a new work there and there seems to be an open door there for the Gospel at the moment.

 

What to pray for of the coming weeks and months.

Restarting youth clubs. At this time (September) those involved in youth clubs will be meeting to decide how to go forward and were to focus our time. We really need wisdom and guidance here as decisions made will be for the whole year. Many new children and young people attended camps – but would they come to weekly or monthly youth clubs? It’s impossible to know unless we try. We’ve previously had clubs in three cities; Gjirokaster, Tepelena and Ballsh. We hope to do the same again. For several of these groups we hope to do Bible overviews.

Young men - pray for Ervin  and Cheti who are two 17-year-olds who have been regulars at our lads meeting over the past couple of years. I’m going to be inviting them to commit to doing a Bible study with me over the next year.

Village outreach I hope to restart going to villages weekly to do evangelism. Last year I taught English in villages schools with the purpose of building bridges with people there. This led to many conversations and opportunities to give out literature. To restart I need the permission of the new headmasters and of the new head of education in Gjirokaster.  Please pray that I get this.

Preaching  We will be starting new series both on Sundays and for the Wednesday night Bible study. We've chosen to go through Thessalonians on Wednesdays and do a series on 'people who met Christ' on Sundays. We very much need the Lord's blessing as we study and prepare for messages. Please pray for Petrit, Shaun and myself in particular. 

Wider News 

It just became world news that in Kosovo many Albanians were being recruited by mosques to become jihadist fighters for IS. Over 200 Kosovar Albanians have traveled to the Middle East so far which is a lot for a country of 1.8 Million. Thankfully the government there has been pushed to take action against extremist groups that they had been ignoring for a while. Islam has a stranglehold on the lives of many Albanians in Kosovo. Please pray for believers sharing the Gospel with Albanians in Kosovo who follow the false prophet.

 

Family News

John really enjoyed being at camps and swimming (with arm-bands) in the sea. John has just started nursery school. This is a big step for him and for us too! The beginning will be a bit difficult for Joihn as he’s not used to being away from us. Lot’s of other children were crying for the same reason the first few days and this made it even more scary for John!

Ana is now 6 months now and is doing well. She’ll a real joy to us all.

Lori will be doing a little bit of English teaching at home starting soon – this will give her something to break up the week with and also provide valuable points of contact in the neighbourhood. Please pray for our witness to our neighbours and more boldness and wisdom in sharing the gospel with them. One of our neighbours was ill recently and we asked her if we could pray for her – she was very happy to accept and this led to an interesting conversation about prayer. Another good conversation was had with her husband who is a practising Bektashi muslim.

New car – it became apparent over the Summer that I’d soon be needing a new car – my current one has low ground clearance and can’t get to the more remote villages. In this letter I was going to ask if anyone felt led to contribute to this, but news already got out via Paul Davies, and amazingly the amount that I was aiming at has already come it! Praise God for providing and a big thank you to those who gave.

I’m looking online at vehicles in Germany and looking at getting something that I could use both for villages and for outings with young people –  something like a VW transporter with seats. This would be a real asset to the work. Please pray that I find something suitable that would be both reliable and useful. If anyone has contacts in Germany that might be able to help put me up for a couple of nights or help look at cars please let me know.

 

We continue to be encouraged and amazed at God’s grace and might. Thank you again for your gifts and prayer support. Above all please continue to pray that God would be at work – through his Spirit – convicting and convincing people to turn to Him. We pray that same for the communities that you live in wherever that may be.

 

In Christ

 

James, Lori, John & Ana

 

 

“ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,” Acts 17:26-27

Parables 2 - Dept Advice

There is a world wide debt crisis, and not just a monetary one. Each and every one of us owe our lives to Christ fro he gave his for us. Do you even accept his sacrifice?

Parables 1 - Castles in the Sand

Messed up priorities result in us building sand castles instead of investing in the rock that is Christ.

Latest news from James and Lori - June 2014

June 2014. Prayer letter from Albania

Dear friends, warm greetings from Gjirokaster Albania!

The summer is upon us and the weather here is warming up. God willing we will have lots of activities and outreach during the next months. School holidays are very long in Albania; from mid June until September! So there's plenty of opportunity to run camps. Apart from this, the hot days always bring people outside – especially in the evenings when the sun is less strong. In villages in 'the cool of the day' the squares become filled with people simply sitting around, and in town the main streets are filled with strollers.

We have a message of eternal importance that we wish to bring to children and adults alike! How can we best do this? How do we reach the right people? How can we present the message of Jesus to children and young people in a way that they can understand clearly? How can we best use the time? These are some of the questions that we face each year. 

But ultimately we are very aware that it is the Lord who saves. We are so dependent on Him to be at work in people's hearts, in circumstances, and in our own hearts too. Please then, do pray for us over the next few months for these things.

Below is a calendar of events in the Summer, and below that a few explanations.

June:
1st -18th Registrations for camps.
18Th – 27th Day camps in Gjirokaster 1 & 2
22nd Geni and Nikoleta's wedding!
30th – 4th Day camp in Ballsh

July:
7th - 11th Day camps in Tepelena
12th - 19th Beach Camp for children from villages
19th – 26th Beach Camp for children from towns

August:
4th-17th Village and town outreach
23rd-30th Evangelistic Family Camp.

Beach Camps for Children
We're actually half way through registering children for our Summer camps now. We always have a lot of children who want to come from the towns, the challenge is choosing which children to take. This year we aimed to have a week just for children from outside the main towns (from villages and small towns). It's a lot harder to get children from these places to come. Parents often don't give their consent. As I've mentioned before we hope that trust built up during out English teaching and through the Operation Christmas Child program might open a door here. Teachers and headmasters of schools have been very positive so far and have helped a lot. This week we will be going back to several schools to collect application forms. Please pray that parents would give their children permission to come – especially from villages. Pray also for registraions in towns that God would overrule in who we take.

Day Camps in Gjirokaster, Tepelena & Ballsh
These are for younger chilren. They come in the mornings but sleep at home. As you can see from the calendar we will be having these in three places. Around 50-60 children are due to come for each camp, so over 200 children in total. As with the beach camps – these are all from non-christian families. This will be an opportunity for them to hear the Gospel.

Village Outreach.
We plan to spend some time in August focusing on outreach in villages in the evenings. We're still planning this, but it will probably involve some open-air preaching as well as other activities. We usually use the projector to show a short film as it helps to draw a crowd and if there are children, we have a separate children's program. We hope to go to some of the villages that have given us a warm welcome in the past, as well as some of the more remote ones. Last year New Testaments were given to individuals that showed interest.

Evangelistic Family Camp.
This is a camp for non-christian families. There are evangelistic talks in the evenings and plenty of opportunity in the day time during meals and beach time for personal witness. It's aimed at reaching whole families – so is quite unique in this respect.

Family News
Ana is doing well and had her first vaccines without any problems. John is excited about the summer and is looking forward to swimming in the sea (as is Daddy)! Lori has enjoyed being home and seeing her friends

Other news: Geni Dogani, our close friend and pastor in Memaliaj, is getting married at the end of June! 

Thank you for your interest, prayer and support,

James, Lori, John & Ana

Decision time

Numbers 13:3-16

Before I became a pastor I was challenged in my study of the bible when a guy by the name of Jeff Adams was visiting our pastor, and shared in the bible study that week how he had studied Joshua 15, and the meaning of the name Achsah (meaning anklet) for some weeks before coming to an understanding of how this applied to his life. The resulting study was amazing, and for me life changing, as I began to understand the wealth of the word of God. A year or so later when I began to preach I applied myself to understanding what God was saying through every word of scripture, as it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, resulting in a sermon on the meaning of the names of the twelve spies Moses sent into the land of Canaan. Sadly I lost my notes in the intervening years, and so what follows is by no means as detailed as I uncovered at the time, but I hope it gives you a taste of why you should never skip through lists of names thinking them devoid of meaning.

Here are the names, in the order they appear in scripture, along with their Strongs reference, and meanings, from Strongs.

Shammua = H8071 - Renowned, root H8074 Made destitute

Shaphat = H8202 - Judge

Caleb = H3612 - Yelp, exclaim

 Son of Jephunneh = H3312 - Will be prepared

Igal = H3008 - Avenger

Oshea = H1954 - Deliverer

Palti = H6406 - Delivered

Gaddiel = H1427 - Fortune of God

Gaddi = H1426, Root H1424 - Fortunate

Ammiel = H5988 - The people of God

Sethur = H5639 - Hidden/Secret

 Son of Michael = H4317 - Who is Like God?

Nahbi = H5147 - Occult (Knowledge of the hidden) , to hide

Geuel = H1345 - Majesty of God

What does this all mean? It describes the life of a man living a life without God, being challenged by him, coming to salvation, living a life as part of the body of Christ, and ending before the throne of God in Heaven. See how the names, in the order given (which is not the order of the tribes or anything like that) fit perfectly to a life like this.

We begin our lives sure of ourselves and try to build a name for ourselves, but God will bring us down a peg in time.  Isaiah 2:11-12. Then he will judge, we will be judged.

Thankfully, when God judges he also prepares the hearts of those that will listen to him Galatians 3:24, and recognise their failing, and know that they deserve death. Romans 6:23.

In accepting Christ as our saviour, we are delivered from bondage to sin Ephesians 2:8-9. We receive of the grace of God Romans 3:20-24, and are fortunate indeed. We become the people of God John 1:12. More than that, we become part of the body of Christ, the church, the hidden mystery of God Ephesians 3:8-10.

And in the end, whether we die, or he returns we shall see his glory Philippians 2:8-10.

The spies returned and faced a decision, to go into the land and be part of the promise, or to stay with what they knew in the desert. We face the same decision in turning to salvation, and again in living for Christ. What is your decision?

Out of the mouths of children

Psalm 8

Psalms 8:1-2

1)  O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 

2)  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

We often ignore what children say, thinking they are making things up (and with three of my own, I know they made wonderful stories when they were little), or exaggerating, however it is right here in the Bible. Out of the mouths of babies!

To a small child it is simple, God made the world, and we live in it. "Hey look Dad, there is a beautiful bird that God made!" Why is it so complicated for us as adults? For good reason he tells us to come to him 'as little children'. Sadly, as we get older we get jaded by the trials of work, providing a home, dealing with other people, and we forget that this is not how God made it, but how we are re-making it.

Let's try putting it back for a change. "What is man that you are mindful of him?" indeed our perspective needs to lift from our little view of the World, to take in the expanse of creation.

As it was once put, what is the point of a universe so immense if we are the only beings in existence to see it? Easy, God wanted to paint a picture to show us how amazing he is, and the universe was the only canvas big enough. As a demonstration of God's glory the universe is, if anything, to small.

O God, how excellent is your name in all the Earth!

Saul vs David

Are you a Saul, or a David? Do you seek the applaud of those around you, or the heart of God?

Listen up!

Are you listening to God? If he speaks would you recognise his voice? When you hear him do you only listen to what you want to hear?

If it was me, then fair enough!

Psalm 7

Psalms 7:3-5

3)  O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

4)  If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

5)  Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

David was a man often accused, but only one time justly, when he took Bathsheba as his wife, and had her husband killed. During the rest of his life he was many times on the run from the law, King Saul. We do at times make mistakes in our lives, but when we are unjustly accused our natural reaction is to take the fight to our accuser.

David had that chance on so many occasions. Twice he got so close to Saul that he could have killed him, yet took only proof that he had been there. Even when Saul died David was distraught, and had Saul’s killer killed. Never did he retaliate in kind. If it is my fault, he said, let me live on the run forever, yet he ended up king of Israel in place of Saul. History judged him innocent of the accusations of Saul.

When you are accused, how do you act and react? We should take a leaf out of David’s book. God is the judge, and he will recompense evil. As he says, “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.” There is no need for us to retaliate. The truth has a way of sorting things out.

On the other side we must take care not to be those false accusers. Do you want to face the judgement of God? The bible tells us to correct one another in love. Sometimes that hurts, but it is never done in anger. Uprightness of  heart is key for the accused and accuser. Let God be the judge.

Coping with pain and suffering

Psalms 6:2-3

2)  Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

3)  My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?

At first reading this is one of the most depressing psalms of all time. It sounds like Job had it easy. In fact David may have written this psalm to summarize the events of Job’s life.  But in reality this is a psalm of encouragement. Are you in physical pain, emotional pain, or psychological pain? David was when writing this psalm. Do you feel depressed, even suicidal ? It looks like David was. Are you grieving endlessly, unable to cope anymore? David had turned his bed into a water bed from crying so much.

The question we face is not, how do we solve our visible problems, but how we let that affect our relationship with God. David is certain his attitude had displeased God and is pleading to be accepted with mercy. There is no trial that is not covered by the emotional summary of personal disaster given here, and yet it concludes with a certainty that God has heard our prayer. Like Job, there is no complaint of what God has, or has not done, only the plea of a contrite heart.

God does hear as we weep, he will receive our prayer, our supplication, and he will shame those that mock us. Have you let your situation destroy your relationship with God, or will you use it as an opportunity to seek him more?

Paul Davies - A pile of pots

We are 'earthen vessels' it says in Corinthians. Pots to hold whatever God has given us. Only his light shining makes any difference to what people see.

How will you worship?

Psalm 5

Psalms 5:7-8

7)  But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

8)  Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

What will you do? Where are your priorities? The first question is, will you worship, and the second question is, how will you worship? This psalm begins with a call to prayer. Priority number one, first thing in the morning the psalmist turns to prayer. The very next thing is a call to worship. It is foolishness in the eyes of God, to fail to come to his house to worship, for they do not want their hearts revealed.

It is in the act of communal worship that our hearts are revealed. When listening, and looking around during a time of worship one can see those who, like the psalmist, have come in the knowledge of the mercy of God. The fear of God, the full response to his majesty, is visible and audible from those who are truly worshiping in spirit and truth. The sad thing is how many people come to a place of worship with no intention to worship, and this is because they do not fear God, and yet they expect God to make their way straight, to protect them from all evil and so on.

If you truly trust in God, yes there will be hard times, but even then there will be rejoicing, for it is hard times together with God. So, as you come before God in worship start in praise, a declaration of the goodness and greatness of God. Then continue in worship as you come near to God and respond to what he has and is doing.

Going home is never easy

Jesus went home, and declared his ministry. The reaction was violent, to say the least.

How do you measure success?

Psalm 4

Psalms 4:2-3

2)  O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?

3)  But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.

Looking around us we see many achieving great success. We actually see many failing and struggling, yet it it those achieving success that stick in our minds. How come I am not that successful we cry? They ignore God, ignore common sense, do the most stupid things, and still succeed, while we work our fingers to the bone just to make ends meet.

Sadly it is those who most enjoy success that suffer the deepest distress. I recently saw an article on “where are they now?” tracking the careers of Disney stars. Only one is not now mired in substance abuse, addiction, prison and so on, and she is trying hard to get mired. The rich, famous, successful people who everyone wanted to emulate are now suffering far beyond anything most of us will experience!

God has set us apart for a purpose. We are not part of that lifestyle because we have been called to a holy life. “Stand in awe, and sin not” the psalmist writes. We are to be in awe of God not man. If we stand in awe of men we are falling for a false picture that does not reveal the pain beneath, and are riding a road into sin. Being in awe of God changes our entire outlook on life. We ask no longer, “how come I?”, but “how come God?”. How come he cares about me? How come he loves me? The creator of the universe sent his own son to die that we might live. The only question we can then ask is, how can I arrange my life so I can maximize the time spent serving the Lord most high?

Come to the well

When Jesus encountered a woman at the well in Samaria he dealt with two serious issues, spiritual and physical. We face the same issues today.

Why did God let this happen to me?

Psalm 3

Psalms 3:1-3

1)  LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

2)  Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

3)  But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

Have you ever been in serious trouble? Have you ever thought things just could not get any worse? At the same time all around you would have to agree, they may even say, 'why does God not do anything?', 'Maybe you have been judged and God will not help you!' This was the situation David found himself in when writing this psalm. His own son had seized the throne and was hunting him down!

For many unbelievers when things go right they say that they have done well, when things go wrong it is God's fault, or God does not exist, or he would have stopped this happening. They never stop to think what they did to cause the problem. As believers we fall into a similar trap. In bad times we cry out, God where are you? In good times we forget to praise him. How different is David's attitude. He was in the darkest days of his life. He could not see the hand of God at work, and all appeared to have deserted him, yet he knew that God is invincible and praised him regardless of his circumstance.

As you approach situations how do you react? We should do as David does in this psalm, look back at what God has already done. He has given you salvation, and has done all we read in the Bible. He rose from the dead defeating sin. No matter what you are facing today God is bigger, and his strength will never fail. Joseph spent thirty years in exile, in slavery and in jail before he saw that God was using him to provide for his family. God thinks long term. What about you?

The last laugh

Psalm 2

Psalms 2:2-4

2)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3)  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4)  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

How come our leaders in government are so corrupt, how come they even get into power when the Bible tells us that God sets those in authority? It is not so noticeable in our country, but in some places you would be justified in thinking the devil himself has sat down on the throne of power! And why, despite all our efforts are the laws of the land slowly changing against the word of God?

At every turn we see things getting worse. Petty politicians maneuvering to create their own little kingdoms of power and influence, new laws that are almost deliberately written to go against the word of God, and so on. The Bible tells us that this will happen, and will get worse until the end. We live in a country where it is now law that you cannot freely witness in the workplace, and where the Biblical pattern of marriage and family is the exception rather than the norm. You want to re-enact the lifestyle of Sodom and Gomorrah? The only thing stopping you is yourself.

God just laughs. Every politician thinking they have got in power by their own strength was placed there by God for his purposes. Every law and idea of man will fail, for it is God who has already triumphed. When he comes in judgement it is these same vain men who will be destroyed. Therefore, the time to repent is now. Forget the ways of the land, the ways of God are more important. Do not waste any opportunities to share the gospel, regardless of what people may say. On the last day they will thank you and praise God.

What is your delight?

Psalm 1

Psalms 1:1-2

1)  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

What is your delight? What really gets you going? Or to put it the other way round, how important is God’s word to you? Is it a joy to read, something you can’t put down? Is your time spent with your Bible something you look forward to, and indeed do first thing every day, regretting the fact you can’t spend more time?

When I got married we were presented with a bible. In the cover the pastor of the church had written Joshua 1:8 which is very similar to today’s passage. Joshua was on the verge of leading the people of Israel into the promised land. He had seen God at work through Moses, and now it was time for him to step up. The similarities between leadership and marriage are immense, and so it should come as no surprise that the same instruction holds true for those about to enter marriage, or indeed for anyone. When starting in a relationship, starting in leadership, starting a new job, or school, you expect the best advice to be work, and study hard. Listen to your boss, teacher, or whoever. Make sure you are on the case with your homework, projects, or sermons. Instead the advice here is, get stuck into the word of God.

It is easy for the business of the day to take you away from reading the word of God, and it quickly becomes a chore, not a delight. In taking that instruction to put God first, no matter what, your entire outlook changes. How you do that job, live that relationship, or lead that church is now based on communicating the joy of God, not how you feel that day.