Author: Carol Purves

Forgiven

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It is so easy to remember our mistakes of the past. I still recall an action of mine when I was about ten which hurt someone and then another time when I spoke out of turn and caused distress to other people. I was in my early 20’s and should have known better. Even recently I’ve had to make phone calls to apologize for something I’ve said. When I think about God it’s even worse I’ve sinned against Him all my life. Guilt is a crippling thing, it can mean that the past ruins the present and clouds the future.

It does not have to be like this, God has forgiven us all our sins. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask for and receive forgiveness. ‘Forgive us our debts’ or trespasses as we used to say. Debts makes us think of money and we are all debtors to God. Trespasses sounds like little mistakes, surely ‘sins’ is a better word.

We need to take the words of Paul in Philippians 3;13-14 to heart, ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.’

The Mysteries of God

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There is so much i this life that I don’t understand but I can take them on trust. I don’t understand the principles of gravity, but I can accept that there is such a thing. If I let go of a piece of bread it will fall downwards towards the floor (usually butter side down) I can’t understand how a microwave works. I’m just thankful for the lovely hot food gives. I don’t know how planes seem to defy those same rules of gravity. So many things I take on trust and have a comfortable life in spite of my ignorance.

In the same way I don’t understand the mysteries of God. Even Job had to be reminded that he was fallible. ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?’ God asked him. We are finite creatures in the hands of an infinite loving God. We don’t need to know everything about God, all we need to know is in the Bible. Our minds can’t grasp anything more and the Bible tells us that He loves us with an everlasting love.

God is Trustworthy

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We read in Nehemiah 13:13 that four trustworthy men, a priest, a Levite, a scribe, and a layman of rank, were chosen because they were trustworthy to distribute supplies to the needy. A similar thing happened in Acts 6:1-5 when seven brothers were chosen to distribute food to the widows who were being overlooked. There is every reason to believe that these tasks were carried out faithfully.

We know that this is not always the case. What has happened to the phrase, ‘My word is my bond.’ On so many occasions people do not keep their word. I write this as once again I am waiting for a a promised workman and a phone message to be answered. When the errant person is contacted the answer can be ‘I had something else to do.’ Could a phone call not be made to explain? The phone is a wonderful invention!

We have a Heavenly Father who never breaks His word; His word is truly His bond. Throughout the whole of history God’s word has been reliable. His promises have been sure and trustworthy.

A Wedding

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Very recently I went to a wedding, which is not a common occurrence at my age. It was of a young lady I had been corresponding with since she went to uni a few years ago, she was marrying another member of our church. The best thing about the marriage is that they are two young Christian but the next best thing was that they were so radiantly happy, which was infectious to the whole congregation. I’ve never been to a ceremony with so much clapping and cheering; nothing austere about the day although they were talking it very seriously. Their lives and futures were all dedicated to God.

When I sold my house recently I sold to a young couple who had only been married a year. They are both Christians and are leaders of the youth in our church. These youngsters and others like them, are the hope for the future of Christianity in our country. They are strong, fit and eager with an eagerness that only the youth seem to have. Don’t listen to the dismal stories about the church of the future. When we are gone they will be leading it; God never leaves Himself without witnesses. Because it is God’s work the church will never die.

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Comfort

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During my lifetime I’ve been the recipient of so much comfort. When I was bereaved, ill or in trouble there were always human friends and acquaintances by my side. This was besides the heavenly help I received. God was always by my side encouraging, leading and guiding.

Now I am in a different position, I am not in the state of bereavement, illness or loneliness; but others are. It is now my time to be there for the bereaved, sick or lonely. A close neighbour has been widowed only this week. Although she is a non-believer so I could give her Christian encouragement, I can still sit or listen if she wants to talk. Another neighbour is ill, not seriously, but still needing encouragement and company. Yet another neighbour needs her shopping done, as I am quite mobile and they are not. I prayer that I can be the hands and feet of Christ.

Psalm 88

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This psalm is really interesting being one of the most dismal with hardly a ray of light. v 4 ‘I am counted among those who go down to the pit.’ v 5 ‘like the slain who lie in the grave,’ v 14 ‘Why, O Lord, do you reject me.’ Pretty grim stuff and when we have troubles in our lives we can feel like that. We have days when everything seems to go wrong and then a really big problem comes along on top of everything else. We read the book of Job ‘Yet man is born to trouble as surely as the sparks fly upwards.

But that is definitely not the whole story. We have a God who cares, His past faithfulness proves that to us. There are rays of light in the direst of situations. God will either give us answers to our problems or equip us with strength to cope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Prayer will sustain us meanwhile. God is always on our case.

Exercise

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I’ve joined a class for sitting exercise. We remain seated on chairs but exercise all parts of our body. I’m hoping it will strengthen the muscles in my back and make me a little round-shouldered. (though having fractured a few vertebra that is probably unlikely) If I exercise well I might also lose a little weight off my hips. At the end of 55 minutes I’m quite exhausted but they say no gain without pain.

I wonder do I exercise my spiritual muscles by praying and reading my Bible? Like physical exercise it takes determination and regular habits. I’m not telling you that I pray for 55 minutes but I do spend time with God listening to Him and reading His word. I feel enriched by time spent like this. God loves me and enjoys having communion with me. What a thought that is!

Put God First

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This sounds so easy and it is my intention to always give God my priority. As some of my regular readers will know I’ve just moved house and the list of extremely urgent jobs was growing. I was advised that I couldn’t do everything at once but the jobs that had to be done immediately were definitely more than the hours in the day. My time with God was being squeezed out. The doctor said i was suffering from stress as every part of my body was in pain.

Then I stopped emotionally, physically and mentally. I made opportunity to spend time with God first thing every morning.; it was a non-negotiable priority. In a miraculous way I got through my jobs quicker and more efficiently. My to-do list became shorter and I was less stressed. I pray that as things get easier, I will continue to keep God at the top of my list of tasks. May I enjoy my time listening and speaking to my Friend and Creator.

12 Baskets

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We are so familiar with the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand that we can sometimes overlook the wonder of it all. Imagine 5,000 people in our local football stadium, all tired, weary and hungry. I am surprised that only one young lad had his lunch with him. Imagine the pride of his mother when she realised that her humble lunch was so wonderfully used by our Lord.

I was also interested in the twelve baskets of remnants of food. These represented one basket for each disciple . I wonder what they did with theirs. Did they eat some of the food, or leave it out for the lepers, or distribute it to the needy in the nearby villages?

We have all been given a basket. It is wrong to say we have no talents, God has given something to each one of us. What are we doing with ours. Do we hoard them and selfishly keep them to ourselves? Or do we share them with others? We need to give account of our talents.

Children

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I love the way that so often children don’t notice differences. They don’t seem to be influenced by the colour of their friend’s skin. They fully accept a child in a wheelchair or one who runs with a limp. When I watch them playing in the street or at church each child appears to be included in the activities.

But I’m not starry eyed; this happy situation is not always the case. In a playground I sometimes see a child who is excluded. Children form into groups where some of the youngsters are not welcome. These groups can sometimes become gangs in later life where to be part of the group the child has to conform. I wonder how much of their behaviour learn from the adults.

Sadly my mind goes back to my childhood to when I was about 9 or 10. My group was being unkind to one little girl. I wasn’t the leader but I took a verbal part. Now many years later I say sorry to God, I can’t say the kind words to that little girl who I now imagine is a mature woman. I can only pray that she has gone on to have a happy fulfilled life. God has forgiven me but I still remember.