The Kingdom and repentance: lost and found!

Christian Time Management - Life, Hope & Truth

What God wants us to learn from time management

God wants us to become His children—to be like Him (Hebrews 2:10; 1 John 3:1-3)!

To become more like God, we need to learn to have His priorities. We need to learn to use those priorities to produce a plan for improving our lives and aligning them to God’s plan. And we need to put those plans into action. God’s priorities and plans always produce results, and so can ours.
Priorities

God reveals to us what is truly most important in life. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

The Kingdom of God is the perfect government of God that will bring peace and plenty to this earth when Jesus Christ returns. We must be preparing for that time now. Seeking God’s righteousness means striving to live the right way—obeying God’s beneficial laws that are based on God’s love. (Study more about these priorities in our article “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God.”)

The end of Matthew 6:33 reveals an amazing thing about God’s priorities. If we put what God says is important first, the other things we need and want will be added to us as well!

Read on, follow this link here. I found this interesting website: www.lifehopeandtruth.com . Have a blessed evening my friends. N.

The wonderful time of Advent!

I would like to share with you all this joyful prayer I found about the wonderful time of Advent.

ADVENT 2

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, just and true:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Of old you spoke by the mouth of your prophets,
but in our days you speak through your Son,
whom you have appointed the heir of all things.
Grant us, your people, to walk in his light,
that we may be found ready and watching
when he comes again in glory and judgement;
for you are our light and our salvation.
Blessed be God for ever.

God our Father,
you spoke to the prophets of old
of a Saviour who would bring peace.
You helped them to spread the joyful message
of his coming kingdom.
Help us, as we prepare to celebrate his birth,
to share with those around us
the good news of your power and love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
the prophets said you would bring peace
and save your people in trouble.
Give peace in our hearts at Christmas
and show all the world God’s love. Amen.

People of God: be glad!
Your God delights in you.
giving you joy for sadness
and turn the dark to light.
Be strong in hope therefore;
for your God comes to save.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one in the love of Christ
today and for ever. Amen.

Have a restful and joyful week-end. N.

This man has done nothing wrong!

The Crucifixion of Jesus
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”  

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Source: Luke 23 

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
Source: John 19:19-22

Salvation, peace, hope, purpose, love, Kingdom of Heaven

The Bishop of Sodor and Man, the Rt Rev Robert Paterson, speaking at the General Synod today said potential members were put off by the Church of England's "internalising" tendency.
He said the Church of England was failing to capitalise on a widespread "residual faith" in English society.
"There is a great deal of residual faith around in this country, you only have to meet people in hospital, people who are sad from the death of those they love, people who don't turn up on Sundays to church but who ask us to pray with them," he said.
He added: "The trouble is that what is on the label of the Church tin is still not what is in the tin.
"On the label, the church tin says 'open here for salvation, peace, hope, purpose, love, Kingdom.. but when it is open inside the tin we so often find humbug, or if we are Anglicans, fudge.
"People outside the church have noticed that internalising tendency and they don't want to belong to an apparently useless and self-orientated organisation.
"The symptoms of this can be seen in the general decline of the self- preserving parts of the institutional church and in contrast, growth among the more visionary and less defensive."

I am coming soon

Luke 21:5ff but with special reference to vv 25-36

There is certainly one thing that Jesus talks about in this passage that has already happened -  the fall of Jerusalem and what triggered the whole conversation was that the disciples were admiring the temple which had been there for a few years, the third temple and Jesus says is will be destroyed. Around AD 70 it was. As for the other things he talks about in this passage time does not matter and Jesus moves between different eras as though all are the same and in a way they are to him!  Some of these things have happened, some have always happened and some are to come.

I am coming soon.

If you go to the book of Revelation there is this language that can be difficult. However there is a very simple message in Revelation and that is that God is in control and through Jesus has won the victory and one of these days he is coming again in victory and it will be fulfilled in a perfect and satisfying way. When Jesus came, people had expectations of the long expected Messiah and they got it wrong. They expected him to be a mighty leader and ruler who would free them from Rome and bring a mighty Jewish Kingdom. Jesus blew it all out of the water and has established a kingdom that is bigger than expected and bigger than any other in all ages that crosses all boundaries.

Nobody then envisaged that the Messiah was going to hang upon a cross but it is there in Isaiah chapter 52 ...the suffering servant, God's promised one, brings you and me life if we put our trust in Him. He fulfilled all things in OT Scripture beyond expectation and the same will be true when He comes again. We'll turn round and we'll say wow, wow, I never thought it would be like that. God has an eye for detail and it will be right!

Jesus talks about sign in the sun, stars and the moon and we may not see what he means by that – now. These are the sorts of things that confuse us.

But when he talks about nations being in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea we can understand a little better - this millennium we've seen two tsunamis, the demolishing of the houses in Whitby this week, and sea levels are rising- it’s serious. He is coming again whether it's before lunch or later. .who knows!

Jesus draws upon a picture from the book of Daniel, a vision that Daniel had of the Son of man. In the Old Testament it could just mean a person, a man, Ezekiel uses it all the time of himself. If you read Daniel 7, you will see that the person spoken of there is clearly somebody other than an ordinary human being, and it's actually God and Jesus uses the phrase quite regularly of himself through his ministry as it had an ambiguity about it. Here though he is explicit, you will see the Son of Man coming and he draws directly and specifically on the words of Daniel; Jesus sees himself as being God.

When he comes all will see him come and I don’t think it will be television – God is better  and bigger than television and he’ll use his own means!

Jesus won't be coming as a vulnerable babe who people can argue with, He will be coming as the King of all ages and before him every knee will bow, (Philippians 2:11), people who believe and people who don't believe, He will have total and utter authority. The son of Man is coming. So He goes on to say:  stand in confidence, lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. So many things squish us, even as Christians, we can get pessimistic, but Jesus says: put your head up in me, look at who I am, look at what I have done; whatever happens in this world, whatever happens in this human frail Christian church, there will be people there when Jesus comes back and the saints go marching in.

Jesus words are secure. My words will endure even though heaven and earth pass away but His words will be fulfilled completely and in a satisfying way. He says, read the signs, you see the fig tree budding, we know that spring is coming, when those signs are taking place, you know that the Kingdom is coming. We can see those signs around; we need to be ready for that day when He comes. He is saying be ready at all times, that is the emphasis. Are you ready for the Lord of eternity? Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus, come!

Rev. Steven Abram

Hello bros and sis, this was said at Millwich church last Sunday. Don't you find this message full of joy and light! May the Lord bless you. In Jesus'name. Nicky.

Picture at: http://www.ldolphin.org/Sadvent.html

Serving the King

At the end of the Jubilee mission, on the Sunday 20/05, Rev Adrian Stone who is the vicar at St John's Littleworth in Stafford preached on 'Serving the King'.

Everybody who came this week enjoyed listening to those messages and many said how they were touched by them. If you are still searching for the meaning of your life and have questions, I hope that these messages will answer directly or indirectly some of your questions. As we are off to Norfolk for half-term, I hope you will have a blessed hols. If you are still working, have a blessed week. In the name of Jesus. N.

Treasures in heaven?

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money

 and be content with what you have,

 because God has said,

   “Never will I leave you; 

   never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

In 1 Timothy, Paul tells us that money is root of all evils. This statement is verified every day when we hear or read about crimes being committed in order to obtain more money. 

If one is grumbling on one's condition and always thinking  that if one had more money, one's life would be more enjoyable, it implies that one is forgetting God's blessings in our life. 

Does it mean that we must stop working, be lazy ?

 Certainly not, we must remember that our Lord provides,

 let us put our trust in Him.

Jesus himself gives this warning:

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, 

where moths and vermin destroy, 

and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ 

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where moths and vermin do not destroy, 

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

 (Matthew 6:19-20)

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, 

or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. 

You cannot serve God and mammon" 

(Matthew 6:19-24).

I found out that the meaning of mammon,  (more correctly spelled "mamon" from the original language) was a transliteration of a common Aramaic word. It was derived from the Hebrew word that meant "to be established" or "to be certain" ('ãman)¹; and thus originally meant "to entrust"².  In time, the meaning of the word changed from the positive idea of "that which is entrusted"  to the negative idea of "that in which a man puts his trust".

 Depending on who you talk to, the conversation may very quickly turn on money, 

whether people deplore the lack of it

 or on the contrary boast about what they have bought with it. 

Sometimes money can hijack your relationship with a loved one.

 If you are not on your guard, it can rote everything

Do you think that having a good job, a title, a good spouse satisfies you? 

Maybe your aim in life it to become famous,

 you treasure all the certificates that bear your name, 

the articles in the local or national press.

The reason why we always need money is that nothing 

we buy with it gives us lasting pleasure.

 ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 

²² But when the young man heard this statement, 

he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property. 

In Matthew 13:44  Jesus tells us that 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, 

which a man found and hid again;

 and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

 

A prayer, Lord, thank you for your Love, thank you for Jesus, our saviour and redeemer. 

Help us to get rid of our material cravings.

 We seek you Jesus, our treasure, Light of the World, our true friend. In Jesus-Christ, Amen