God's Word Is Clear Enough.

This passage came up in my reading today in the 365 Day Bible

Revelation 21:6-8 (New International Version, ©2010)

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”


Just as God finished the work of creation in Genesis 2, and Jesus finished the work of redemption (John 19:30) so the Trinity will finish the entire plan of salvation by inviting the redeemed into the new creation.

The cowardly mentioned here are those who fear persecution and so give in to it.

On the other hand we see that people who overcome - "stand firm until the end". They will receive all the blessings that God has promised.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark

There Is A New Year Coming.

We have almost made it again to a new year! Is your mind on what the New Year may bring? Or are the events of the year just past still weighing on you?

God's words through the prophet Isaiah looked forward to the future;

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:18-19).

This encourages us not to dwell on what's happened before, be it good or bad. Rather, we are urged to focus on what God is doing in the present, and what he will do in the future. Isaiah was ultimately referring to the coming of Jesus, since the salvation He brings is the 'new thing' which the Israelites in exile were looking forward to.

For us, we know right now the joy of living in relationship with God. Our sins have been blotted out and are remembered no more, because of Jesus' work on the cross (Isaiah 43:25). However, we should also remember that the 'new thing' which God promises won't be fully realised until heaven.

TFTD: Are you able to forget the former things, and not dwell on the past? Are you able to see the 'new things' which God is doing, and will do? Let us be encouraged by our present relationship with Jesus, and the promise of heaven, as we move into this New Year.


"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away..."Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God...""
Revelation 21:1,3 (NIV)

Have a great day,


Peter Clark
(reprinted from the bible Society Newsletter)

More of What God Wants.....

Our obedience.

Psalm 15

Psalm 15
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.

Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

More of What God Wants.....

1 John 3:11-18 (New International Version, ©2010)


11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

TDTD: We are to love God and our neighbours.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What Makes God Happy!

Psalm 147:11 (New International Version, ©2010)


11 the LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

The Lord delights in those who fear him - that doesn't mean frightened - but rather those who respect and hold him in awe AND put their hope in His unfailing love.

TFTD: That is not too much to ask is it?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Amen To That!

Zechariah 12:5 (New International Version, ©2010)

5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.’


The people of God are strong because the LORD Almighty is their God.

Amen to that.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Christmas Day.

Here we are...Christmas Day already.

Why did Jesus come?

Have you a short answer to that question?

Luke 19:10
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Have a great day.

Peter Clark.

When Problems Come...

Of course there will be difficulties....and difficult people.

What is to be our strategy for them?


Revelation 14:12 (New International Version, ©2010)

12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

In the End...Who Does It?

This morning we had the third of our newly established Parish Prayer Meetings.

It was a real joy - to see the faithful gathered to acknowledge God as the leader of our Church.

When I came home after that I read my 365 day Bible for today....and I was reminded of this...


Zechariah 4:6 (New International Version, ©2010)

6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.


TFTD: What is going to happen at St Marys in the future? Only what the Spirit of God causes to happen.

There will no doubt be some hindrances also...more about that tomorrow morning.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Do We Pray....Or Do We Go To The Doctor?

This morning I was challenged by my reading God's Word again.

Ezra 8:22-23

22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Here we have the people returning to Jerusalem to rebuild. They had told the King (rightly) that God will look after them and so they feel as though they cannot ask for troops to protect them on the way.

On the horns of a dilemma.

Are not we often on the same horns of a dilemma?

Do we walk through a bad part of the city late at night, trusting that God will protect us, or, do we stay away?

Do we use the medical help available, or trust that God will heal us, and/or keep us in good health?

It seems to me that God has given common sense or wisdom to use...and we should use it as well as trusting God and relying on Him to use agents such as Doctors etc.

What do you think?


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

Three Things The Lord Does...

There are many things that the Lord does.....but in my reading this morning I was reminded of three of them.

They come from Psalm145 - verses 13, 19 & 20.

The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.


The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

TFTD: What a great God we have.

Peter Clark.

How Much Do We Need?

How much do we need?

Given that we treat money as an idol we must be very careful with our attitude to it.

I came across this passage on 10th December in my 365 day Bible.

It is from Proverbs 30

7-9 And then he prayed, "God, I'm asking for two things
before I die; don't refuse me—
Banish lies from my lips
and liars from my presence.
Give me enough food to live on,
neither too much nor too little.
If I'm too full, I might get independent,
saying, 'God? Who needs him?'
If I'm poor, I might steal
and dishonor the name of my God."

TFTD:Be warned....it is just so easy to get out of balance with our attitude to money.


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

What Else Does God Want?

He wants love.


1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


1 John 3:11-18

11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Have a great day,

Peter Clark

More Of What God Wants.....

....God also wants faith-Hebrews 11:1-12


1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What God Wants....

There are eight very clear things that God desires from us....

One is commitment.

See 2 Timothy 4:1-8

1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Can you suggest what the other seven things might be?

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Only Christ Can Do It!

I am reading through Revelation and I am up to chapter 5.

In his vision John sees a scroll being handed to the One sitting on the throne.

In John's day, books were written on scrolls made out of papyrus or vellum. They could be up to 10 metres long. When they were rolled up they were sealed with wax or clay.

The scroll that John sees contains the record of what God has in stall for the world. There are 7 seals located throughout the scroll - as each seal is broken the next phase of God's plan will be revealed.

There is, however, no-one worthy to break the seals except Jesus - and the reason for that is Jesus' perfect obedience to God, dying on the cross and rising to new life - showing us his power over death, sin, hell and Satan himself.

We can be very thankful for that.

have a great day,


Peter Clark.

True Worship

In Revelation 4 John has a vision of the 24 elders gathered around God's throne worshipping Him by saying (in v.11)....

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Watch What You Say.

There is some good advice for us in these two verse of Psalm 141.

3-4 Post a guard at my mouth, God,
set a watch at the door of my lips.
Don't let me so much as dream of evil
or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.
And these people who only do wrong—
don't let them lure me with their sweet talk!

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

The True Character Of Our God.

The true character of our God is to call us, love and in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 20 we have that lovely picture of Him standing at the door of our lives wanting to come in and be a part of our lives - but not forcing Himself on us.


20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What Does God Want From Us?

I have been reading Revelation.

In chapter 2 and verse 26 it says this...

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

There are a couple of things to say about this...

God wants us to be there - still following Him at the end - don't ever, ever give up.

Secondly, we need to be doing His will - not our own thing!

Thirdly, if we do that then we will have some sort of role in eternity.

TFTD: Pretty cool eh?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Knows!

In Revelation 2 we read this:

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

God knew these Christians who lived in Ephesus intimately.

2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people

It is not too much of a stretch to say that God knows us just as well.

TFTD: How do you feel about that? What changes does that make for your behaviour and attitudes?

Have a great day,

Peter Clark

Past And Present.

In my daily readings I am up to the Revelation of John.

In the opening verses vs 5,6 of Chapter 1 we have a succinct summary of what Jesus has accomplished in us and for us.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,


and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Stick At Your Faith To The End.

You might not think so....but it is so easy to give up on one's faith.

I have seen people who you would never imagine would fall away....but they they.

We then have to be so very careful in these "last days"

Jude 1:17-23 (The Message)

17-19But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: "In the last days there will be people who don't take these things seriously anymore. They'll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts." These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There's nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit!

20-21But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

22-23Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

When We Want To Stop....

....being lonely....

....read Psalm 23....

1-3 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.

Have a fantastic day,


Peter Clark

By My Spirit

Most people would believe that to survive and thrive in our world you need to be strong, tough...harsh even.

God says no to that common, prevailing "wisdom".

God says in Zechariah (that is what I am up to today in my readings) 4:6 " Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit"

The key words are "by my Spirit".

It is only through God's Spirit that anything lasting can be accomplished.

TFTD: That is a good thing for me to be reminded of as I start up in this new Parish of Waverley.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Continuing To Sin?

The Bible says that if we are "born of God" that we will not continue to sin.....

.....1 John 5:18.

Does that mean that we really have no excuse?

We will sin of course....but will we continue in sin?

Food for thought.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

This Is Amazing.

Have a close look at this....written by Daniel many thousands of years before Christ.

Daniel 12:1-3

1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. brightness

This is Daniel writing about the end times, with a reference to the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. At this time teaching on the resurrection was not common.

But here it is. Daniel was a man before his time.

TFTD: We are to make sure that we are on the "right side" of the resurrection.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark

You Can Be Sure.

There are so many people who have doubts about their eternal destination.

There is no need for that.....

.......God has told us that we can be SURE about our eternal life.

1 John 5:13

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life"

Have a great day,


Peter Clark

Coming Out A Winner.

How do we finish our time on this earth as a winner?

1 John 5:5

"Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

How Are We To Love God?

1 John 5:3

"This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome."

It is not as complex as we may have thought or been told.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Definitive Answer For Jewish People.

Daniel 12:11-12

"From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days."

Do the maths.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.