Making time for God By Nathan Jukes

Do you find it hard to spend time with God? I know it’s hard, but if you really want to do something you can almost always make time for it. It is the same with spending time with God, if you really want to make time for God there’s always time. There is no excuse because there is always time for God even if sometimes we think we don’t. God is there twenty four seven for us, no matter what time of day it is he's always there for us.

I have to admit I haven’t always spent time with God, like a few years ago I didn’t spend time reading the bible very much maybe two of three times a week. Even then I didn’t spend that long reading my bible or sometimes I would just read a good Christian book, sure I was getting some Christian input thought that but I wasn’t spending Quality time with God.

Jesus answered, “It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

Jesus is saying that we need to read God's word. Man shall not live on bread alone. This means that we can’t live on just physical food, we need the spiritually food too that comes from reading Gods word.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God, this means that God is the author  of the Bible. The Bible was not actually wrote by God but, the people who wrote the Bible were being used as God tools to write it. Profitable Means beneficial or useful, so the Bible is useful to us without it our Christian walk would be a lot harder without it. Teaching is something we all need, When we go to church the preacher preaches God word to us, our youth leader explains it to us. We don’t to just need to read God’s word we need good teaching too. Reproof and correction are almost the same thing. With the reproof we see that where we are wrong, while with the correction we know what the right thing to do. And for training in righteousness, What does this mean? For us to get to heaven we need to be righteousness in God slight, we can’t get to Heaven by good work but thought God sending his son Jesus to die for us and being saved. That the man of God be competent, equipped for every good work. Competent means having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully.  As Christians we want to be like that, to have the skill to do God's work, It only comes thought reading God’s world daily.

Spending time with God should not be like this, At 7 o’clock pm exactly I will set my stop watch for exactly twenty minutes as soon as it is up I will shut my Bible closed and jump up and shout I’m done for today. Doing it like that is really not spending time with God, It does not matter what time of day or the time God is waiting for us to spend time with me reading his word. Have you spent time with God today?

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

Feel free to leave a comment.

Exodus 15 22-26 By Daniel Jukes

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.[f])  So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”  Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.  He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”  

Exodus 15 22-26 

God had just bought the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea they had seen God at work big time but they soon forgot that. They soon were grumbling and moaning again. But despite their grumbling God made the water sweet so they could drink it. God had a good reason for not giving them what they wanted straight away. He was testing them to see if they still trusted him. Then God issued a instruction for them, he wanted the Israelites to obey him. God made his point, Now you have seen me at work, so trust and obey me.  

God says the same to us, Don't forget everything I've done for you, trust me through the hard times, obey me and live my way not yours. 

Feel free to leave a comment. 

Giving Generously By Jack Lewis

Let’s be honest, we all want stuff that other people have. There are always people richer than us who have things we would love to get; but wait, if there are always people who have more than us, then surely there are people who don’t have as much as us. There definitely are. A saying I have heard is that “The person who is busy helping those less fortunate than himself will never have time to envy those above himself”, and this saying is true. I have heard it said that if you have any money in a bank account then you are in the top 2% of the richest people in the world,* and that is a truly terrifying stat. So maybe try thinking when you see a new pair of shoes that you really want about the people that have no footwear whatsoever, and when you are hungry having not eaten anything for 2 hours think about those that have not eaten for two days.

Most of the people reading this blog will have a computer, and therefore are probably not in poverty. That probably means we were born in the higher end of society so shouldn’t we be helping those who were not born in a society as fortunate as ours. Another thought, if we had been the one’s who happened to be born into a family n poverty; wouldn’t we want those people who have the same wealth as we do now to help us?

God is pleased when we give money to help others, and it says in Acts 20:35: “I have showed you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” What this verse says is definitely true, and I have found in the past that it is more blessed to give money than to buy something that is unnecessary to us.

Money is a tool that God has given us, so let’s use it wisely! 

*I was told this by a friend and so cannot guarantee the stat’s accuracy.

SALT AND LIGHT By Jack Lewis

(Matthew 5:13-16)

A Bible passage that is used quite frequently is found in Matthew 5, but the analogy of us (Christians) being “Salt and Light”, what does it mean?

What Jesus is saying in this parable is that we are shining God’s light in places of the world where the Devil’s darkness prevails. Jesus is referred to in        John 8:12 as the “Light of the world”, and as we are called to be like him, that means being a light to the world. This may sound very confusing, but what this passage is trying to say to us is that we must be different from other people. He uses Salt and Light as his examples because if you put lots of salt on food, you can taste the difference, right? Same with light, if you are in a dark room, and then someone turns the light on, then you will notice that as well. Jesus wants people to see something different in us, so that they will want to be more like us. Therefore, if we have God’s light in us, then we can go out and shine a light that will guide people on the path to God!

One thing though, is that this verse does not mean that we are wasting our time with other Christians, or lights. Although your light won’t be so noticeable amongst other lights, you can learn from even brighter lights, so that your lights will become brighter, and then you can also help others who are weaker in their faith.

 Also if you are like a well, and lots of people are drawing water from you, then you will eventually run dry, so make sure you regularly refill from the well of all living water, Jesus Christ.

     “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
 ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same- way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”