Rejoicing?.......About What?

What do you rejoice about? what makes you happy? The love of a partner? Another job? A legacy? Coming into some unexpected money?

In Luke chapter 10 and verse 20 Jesus tells his disciples what they should be rejoicing over. The disciples had been out on a mission and it had been very successful.....people had responded...even "demons submit to us in your name" (v.17).

But that was not what should have been rejoiced over.....

What should be rejoiced over is that "your names are written in heaven."

TFTD: Is that what you rejoice over?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Maturing....

My reading today was the Parable of the Sower - probably one of the best known, most preached on passages in the New Testament.

The seed that fell among the thorns, probably best describes our society today....

...."The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, AND THEY DO NOT MATURE..."

We live in a society that absorbs us - that swallows us up. With the emphasis and focus on life's worries, riches and pleasures (and this was written 2,000 years ago!) our growth is stunted....we become spiritual dwarfs....failing to mature.

Is that what you want for yourself?

What are you going to do about it?

Help me out here.....any suggestions that I can pass on to other people?


have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Privilege Of Leadership.

When Moses leadership is coming to an end, he prays to the LORD about a replacement....

Numbers 27:16,17

"May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD'S people will not be like sheep without a shepherd"

It IS a very big privilege to move in and out of God's people in a congregation - leading the sheep - dealing with the goats.

The end result is so that God's people will not be like leaderless sheep, but will be a flock - protected, cared for and led into pasture.


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

The Woman At The Well.

27th March, 2011 John 4:5-42.
In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus decides to leave Jerusalem
to return to Galilee, to his own home.
To get from Jerusalem in the south to Galilee in the north, Jews had to do one of two things.
They either had to go right through the heart of Samaria,
which they didn’t want to do
- the Jews in Samaria had married outside the Jewish faith,
and so they regarded them as a land of apostates ––
If they didn’t travel through Samaria - they had to go the long way around.

Jesus decided to go right through the heart of Samaria.
Let me amend that.
The Bible says that Jesus "HAD TO go through Samaria" (4:4).
The Greek word that we translate "had to" is dei –– a word that the Bible often uses to suggest that God required it.
In other words, Jesus went through Samaria because God called him to do that.
He went through Samaria for a purpose.
He went through Samaria on a mission.

In Samaria, Jesus met a person who was an alien or an outsider on three counts:

• First, she was a Samaritan.
Jews didn't think much of Samaritans.

• Second, she was a woman.
In that patriarchal society, men didn't think much of women.

• Third, she was a woman of questionable character ––
living with a man who was not her husband ––
the fifth man she had lived with.
It is scary isn’t it? – that Jesus knows us so intimately.
In that small town, where everyone knew everyone else's business,
this woman was an alien/an outsider even to the other women.

But Jesus didn't treat her as an alien/an outsider.
Most Jewish men would avoid speaking to any Samaritan ––
and men didn't speak to any woman in public ––
but Jesus approached this woman at the village well and said, "Give me a drink."
The woman was surprised.
She had come to the well at noon to avoid other women,
most of the women came early in the morning to get water.
This woman understood that she was an outsider,
so she isolated herself by coming to the well at noon.
Now this man/Jesus –– this Jewish man ––
was violating all the social norms by initiating a conversation.
"Give me a drink" was all that he had said,
but it was just not done.
So she responded:

"How is it that you, a Jew,
ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (v. 9).
By the way, you know that she was a very large woman,
She was a woman OF SOME AREA (joke!)
The narrator adds this note: "Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans."

But Jesus responded:

"If you knew the gift of God,
and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,'
you would have asked him,
and he would have given you living water" (v. 10).

"Living water."
What did Jesus mean when he said that he would give this woman "living water"?

Jews sometimes used that phrase, "living water" to mean "running water"
the kind of water that you would find in a river or a creek.
That's how this woman chose to interpret what Jesus said.
She asked Jesus where he planned to get this living water/running water?
Did he think he was greater than the patriarch Jacob, who had dug this well?
But Jesus responded:
"Everyone who drinks of this water"
(meaning the water from Jacob's well)
"will be thirsty again,
but those who drink of the water that I will give them
will never be thirsty.
The water that I will give will become in them
a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (vv. 13-14).
That seems mysterious, but it need not have.
Anyone who knew the Hebrew Scriptures––
and that would include both the Jews and the Samaritans ––
would know that God had referred to himself as "the fountain of living water."
• God had chastised the Jewish people, because they had forsaken "the fountain of living water,
and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).
In other words, they had abandoned God,
who was a fountain of living water, for the dry cisterns of idolatry.
• They would remember the Psalmist saying that God "leads me beside still waters" (Psalm 23).

When Jesus promised "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life,"
What did they understand by it?
more than just thinking that we drink to satisfy our physical thirst.
They would have understood him to mean that he could satisfy their spiritual thirst ––
a thirst that goes to the root of our being.

That's what this woman needed ––
"a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" ––
a spring of water to satisfy her spiritual thirst ––
a spring of water to moisten the hard crust of her life ––
a spring of water to cleanse her ––
a spring of water to make her whole.

Don’t we all need that?
a "spring of water gushing up to eternal life."
A lot of people live dry old "Desert lives."
They just wander around in their desert lives
without any sense of where the water is ––
the source that makes things green.
And so their lives are sparse, arid,
and empty of any spiritual nourishment.

Does that sound familiar?
Do you know anyone like that?
Do you know someone who is living a dry old “Desert life” ––
• someone who has no idea where to turn to find the water,
that surges up to eternal life,
• someone who has no idea where to find the water that makes things green and nourished?
Do you know anyone who is living a parched and ruined life?
I know people like that.
We live in a suburb – a city – a state – a country – a world full of people like that.
I would like to be able to think that there is no-one here living a parched/dry/desert life,
But I am sure that there is,
Come and drink – come and drink.
Thankfully there is that “spring of water gushing up to eternal life”
That is what Jesus offers us.


This is what Jesus came promising the woman "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."
He gained her confidence,
ironically, by revealing that he knew the sordid details of her life.
Then he offered her this "spring of water gushing up to eternal life"?
He offered water to cleanse her ––
to refresh her ––
to make her whole.

The most astonishing thing happened then.
This woman who avoided her neighbors went to them and told them about Jesus.
She said, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!
“Could he be the Messiah?"
And they came to see Jesus.

Now here's the really astonishing thing.
Those people ended up putting their trust in Jesus ––
those Samaritans ––
those people who were outsiders ––
they put their trust in Jesus.

But that wasn't the really astonishing thing.
The really astonishing thing was that they put their trust in Jesus BECAUSE OF THE WOMAN'S TESTIMONY!
Unbelievable!
This woman who had lived the life that she had
suddenly becomes the one who brings these Samaritans together
for spiritual renewal.
In that moment, she was transformed ––
no longer needed to hide ––
no longer needed to maintain her cloak of invisibility.
She, who had been so isolated, became part of her community once again.
Her restoration had begun.
The spring of water that Jesus had promised was,
gushing up within her to a new life.
This is a great example for us of CHRIST, TRANSFORMING LIVES.
That is what He does


You have heard of Malcolm Muggeridge?
He was, in some ways, like that woman at the well.
He wasn’t poor or an outcast like her,
but he did feel a deep and profound emptiness.
As a young man, he wrote to his father:

"I want God to play tunes through me.
He plays, but I, the reed, am out of tune."

Looking for something to believe in,
he flirted with Communism.
He went to Moscow, but was disillusioned by what he saw there.

When he was in his 40s, he wrote in his diary,
"Christianity, to me, is like a hopeless love affair.
It is infinitely dear and infinitely unattainable.
I...look at it constantly with sick longing."

But then, a decade later, he became a Christian.
He couldn't explain exactly what had happened,
but his life changed.
He couldn't produce a dramatic conversion story.
The only explanation for what happened to him was that,
Jesus put in him "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."

As your priest let me finish by asking this question.
Is there something missing in your life?
Is there some shortfall –– some disappointment – a blankspot?
If so, you might find that you need to give yourself fully to Christ.
Give Him your heart,
Give Him your heart this morning,
so that he might implant in you a spring of life gushing up to eternal life.
When that happens, you will find the parts that were missing ––
and they will form a harmonious whole in your life,
and be like a symphony, beautifully in tune.

Amen.

Who Wrestled With God All Night?

You will have to think back to Sunday School to remember this one....it was always on the lesson list.

Do you remember?


Genesis 32:22-32 (New International Version, ©2011)


22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.


Yes....of course.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Wh Was The First Zoo Keeper?

This is an easy one.....who do you think it was?

Genesis 7:13-17 (New International Version, ©2011)

13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth.

I told you it was easy.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Who Was The Oldest Man That Ever Lived?

....no it isn't me!!!!!!!!

Genesis 5:27 (New International Version, ©2011)

27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

....I just feel that old sometimes!


Have a great day.


Peter Clark.

Who Was The First Musician?

A bit harder one today.....who do you think it was?

Genesis 4:20-21 (New International Version, ©2011)

20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.

The question now is....are you any the wiser?

Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

Who Named The Animals?

For today and the next four days, I am going to ask some interesting questions....

See how you go.

So, who did name the animals? This is an easy one isn't it?


Genesis 2:19-20 (New International Version, ©2011)

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

Did you get it right?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Biggest Lie In The World!

My reading today was the temptation of Jesus "by the devil" (Luke 4:2). This came up in the lectionary for preaching on the Sunday before last.

I am told that a lady stormed out angry and threatening never to return because "he preached on the devil...I don't believe in the devil"

There we have a closed mind and a person who has been sold the biggest lie that it is possible to swallow.

How do we explain the presence of evil in the world? We might say people...or greed...or power etc.

But what, or who is behind all that evil? And then what is behind what is behind all that evil?

Dr Luke knew that he was real.

Jesus knew that he was real.

Everyone will know that he is real....but for some it will be embarrassingly too late.

Have a good day,

Peter Clark.

Nicodemus, In The Shadows!

20th March 2011 - John 3:1-17
Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a leader of the Jews, came to Jesus by night.
Why by night?
Probably so that no one would see him.
Mostly, his friends and colleagues were probably Pharisees
 leaders of the Jews
 members of the Sanhedrin,
 the ruling council of the Jews.
These friends and colleagues would have,
looked down their noses at Jesus.
• Jesus was young.
• He was upsetting the apple cart.
• He didn't follow the rules.

Jesus had just recently walked into the temple,
whip in hand,
turned over the tables of the money changers
scattered money everywhere
created an enormous disturbance (2:13-22).
He had gone to the stalls where people were selling cattle and sheep,
these animals were to be used as sacrifices on the temple altar.
Jesus had used a whip to drive the cattle and sheep out of the temple.
He had shouted, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" (2:16).

Worse still, Jesus had done that at Passover
and when the city was jam-packed with pilgrims.
What a embarrassing disaster!
Jesus had pretty well ruined Passover for lots of pilgrims.
As far as the Pharisees were concerned,
Jesus was, at best, bad-mannered
at worst, mad or dangerous.
It is no wonder that Nicodemus came to see Jesus under the cover of darkness.
The wonder was, that he had come at all.

But Nicodemus had heard of the things Jesus had done,
and he wanted to know more.
He had heard that Jesus had turned water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee (2:1-12).
The Gospel of John calls that "the first of (Jesus') signs" (2:11).

This Gospel will report other signs as well
 the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-14)
 the raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-45)
 and several others (4:46-54; 5:1-9; 6:15-25; 9:1-12).
These were described as "signs"
They were miracles,
intended to point to something even more important,
than the miracles themselves.
They were intended to point to Jesus as the one who could save people
 save them from hunger
 save them from illness
 save them from death.

They were signs of what the Kingdom of God was going to be like.
A Kingdom, where there would be no pain, or death or hunger.
It was in response to these "signs" that Nicodemus decided to go to Jesus.
When he began to get a glimpse of the essence of the Kingdom of God.
When he found Jesus, he said:

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God;
for no one can do these signs that you do
apart from the presence of God" (v. 2).

Spot on!
Nicodemus had gotten it exactly right!
These signs –– these miracles,
attested to the fact that Jesus had come from God,
that Jesus had the power to disrupt the very things
that had disrupted people's lives,
that God had given Jesus power to put the pieces back together
that God had given Jesus power to save people.
Nicodemus had heard the stories of the signs, and had understood what they meant.

So he came to see Jesus.
But he came under the cover of darkness,
because he didn't want anyone to see him visiting Jesus.
He didn't want anyone to think that he had become a Jesus-lover.
He just wanted to check it out,
to find out who Jesus really was,
to learn if Jesus was indeed just an out-of-control radical
or if he might be the Messiah who had come to save them.
The One who the whole Jewish nation was waiting for.

Some people criticize Nicodemus for going Jesus at night.
Nicodemus wasn’t perfect, but who is?
His heart was in the right place.
He wasn't a coward.
It took courage for a Pharisee to come to see Jesus,
even by night.
Just like it takes courage in these days to stand up for Jesus (pause)
Later in the story,
we will learn that Nicodemus tried to defend Jesus,
when his fellow Pharisees decided to arrest him (7:50-51).
Still later, after Jesus had been crucified,
Nicodemus brought spices to anoint Jesus' body (19:39).

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he addressed Jesus respectfully
"Rabbi," he said –– "Teacher."
He said that it was obvious that Jesus had come from God,
because "no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God" (v. 2).

Jesus' response is interesting.
Jesus knows what Nicodemus needs.
Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above" (v. 3).
That is probably a shortened version of the conversation.

But listen again to what Jesus said.
"Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Greek word that is translated "above" is "anothen."
Anothen has two meanings.
It can be translated "again" or "from above."
Did Jesus mean that we must be "born again" or that we must be "born from above"?
It is pretty clear that he meant both.
If we are to see the kingdom of God,
If we are to have a fresh start at life,
we must be born again
born from above
begotten of God.

Jesus went on to explain:

"Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God
without being born of water and Spirit" (v. 6).

Jesus is talking to Nicodemus,
What would he have understood by what Jesus was saying?
Nicodemus would have been familiar with God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:25-26,
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Jesus was explaining the importance of a spiritual rebirth,
He is saying that people do not enter the Kingdom,
By living a better life – a more religious life,
But by being spiritually reborn.
This can only happen through the work of the Holy Spirit
the Spirit of God living in us,
leading us into all truth,
making us aware of God’s call on our lives.

The Holy Spirit dwells within us to act as the CEO of our lives.
If we would only let the Spirit direct our lives, how much simpler things would be.
If we would let God’s Spirit lead us in the right direction,
we could avoid much of the damage that we cause in our lives.
It is hard to let God’s Spirit lead us!
It's hard to "Let go –– and let God!" (as the saying goes)
But that is what we need to do.

I like what Corrie ten Boom had to say about the Holy Spirit.
Corrie was a Dutch Christian whose family sheltered Jews from Hitler's forces during World War II.
Her family ended up in one of Hitler's death camps
but Corrie managed to survive.
She later became famous as a Christian author and speaker,
She came to Australia many years ago,
She was so obviously filled with the Spirit of God.
She said on one occasion.
"I have a glove here in my hand.
The glove cannot do anything by itself,
but when my hand is in it, it can do many things.
True, it is not the glove, but my hand in the glove that acts.
We are gloves.
It is the Holy Spirit in us who is the hand, who does the job.
We have to make room for the hand
so that every finger is filled."

That is a great image and illustration.
What does it tell us?
That by ourselves we will not do anything significant for God.
Like that glove, I am only limp and lifeless as long as I am working by my own meager power.
I might be a cloth gardening glove
or a leather dress glove
but it makes no difference.
Without a hand in the glove, it can do nothing important.

But that imagery also tells me that I CAN BE someone who impacts on the lives of others,
that I CAN DO things that will have an effect on eternity,
that my life CAN BE more significance than the lives even of kings and princes and presidents.
All I have to do is to let God's Spirit fill my life as a hand fills a glove.
When I do that, my life becomes God-powered,
and there is no limit to what God can do as he works through me!
The same is true for you!

When God's Spirit is at work, great things happen.
I came across a story that illustrates what I mean.
A young woman living in London was concerned about her uncle
Henry Goodear (not Goodyear).
Henry didn't have much use for the church,
but his niece kept inviting him to go to church with her.

Finally, he consented.
They went to church together.
When the preacher read the scripture, the young woman's heart sank.
The scripture was from Genesis 5, which is a list of the descendents of Adam.
Let me give you just a little sample. It says:

"When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years,
he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image,
and named him Seth.
The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years;
and he had other sons and daughters.
Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years;
and he died" (Genesis 5:3-5).

The fifth chapter of Genesis keeps repeating that pattern over and over and over and over.
“And he died….and he died….and he died….”
Henry's niece felt really betrayed that the preacher would have chosen a text like that for the Sunday that her uncle finally agreed to come to church.

But the next day, as Henry went about his business,
the phrase "and he died" kept repeating in his mind.
It was like one of those songs that gets stuck in your brain.
Henry kept hearing "and he died" –– "and he died" –– "and he died" –– "and he died."
Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer,
because he knew that someday people would say of him, "and he died."
He also knew that he was not ready to face eternity
so he got down on his knees and gave his life to Christ.

When things like that happen
and they do happen
they are the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit takes ordinary things
 like a glove
 like that genealogy from Genesis 5
 like your life and my life
and fills them with power.

I think that’s great – that WE can have a fresh start,
And we can be the vehicle of others having a fresh start at life.

Jesus says, "No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."

The Good News is that, by the grace of God, we can do that.
By the grace of God, we can become new people
ready to live rich and fulfilled lives.
All we have to do is to give ourselves to God
so that He might empower us
just as a live hand empowers a limp glove.
We have to decide if we are going to let God do that for us. Amen.

Talking Against The Lord's Servant.

My reading today included this passage where Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.

We see that it was not a terribly good idea.


Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”

9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please, God, heal her!”

14 The LORD replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.



Have a great day.


Peter Clark

Calling In The Big Guns!

We all have hard times don't we?

This is my prayer for today....from today's reading.

Psalm 35:22-23

LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.
Do not be far from me, Lord.
Awake, and rise to my defense!
Contend for me, my God and Lord.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Please God.....Do It.

Psalm 35(the reading for today in my 365 Day Bible) fits my situation.

"Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me." (Verse 1)

Like David of old, that is my prayer....and I know and trust that God has answered it.

"Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them..." (Verses 9-10)

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Aaronic Blessing.

This priestly blessing came up in my reading this morning....isn't it great.

Numbers 6:24-26

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

Look at this phrase by phrase imagine and trust it happening.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Too Many Gems To Choose From!

My reading today included Psalm 34:11-22 and there were so many gems that it was hard to know which one to highlight...and so I decided to include them all.

v.11 "Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and persue it."

v.18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit"

v.19 "A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all."

v.22 "The Lord redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes
refuge in him."


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Taste And See....

Psalm 34:9

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

"Taste and see" does not mean "check out God's credentials". Rather, it is a warm invitation to "try this, I know you'll like it"

When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we discover that He is good and kind.

When we begin our first tentative steps in the Christian life, our knowledge and understanding of God is at best partial and incomplete.

As we trust Him daily.....we have a different experience altogether....we learn that He is good and that the Christian life is a joy...even in the midst of difficulties.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Imagine What It Must Have Been Like For Mary!

Let's put ourselves in her shoes - she was young, pregnant, living in a society that would stone you to death for such offences.

The angle comes to her. She believes the angel. Mary learns from the angel (if she didn't know already) that "nothing is impossible with God"

Then at the end of all this Mary declares, "I am the Lord's servant....may it be to me as you have said." (Luke 2)

What an example to us.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Doctor Luke's Thoroughness!

Luke 1:3-4

3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

I love Luke's Gospel. He makes sure of all the facts and then he writes an orderly account of what he has found out.

I like the idea of investigating, writing it down, so that others will know for sure the things that they have been taught.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Do You Have Plans?

Psalm 33:11

"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations."

This verse reminds us that we can completely rely on God - He is trustworthy.

His intentions never change.

This means that we can rely on Him and trust His plans for our life.


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

Blessed Are The Rich And Famous!

That is what we are led to believe....that it is the rich and famous that are blessed...and that they have it all.

That is the world's view.

But what is God's view?

Psalm 32 has a different picture altogether.

V.1 "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."
V.2 "Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit."

This gives us a different picture doesn't it?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Rewards Of Relationship.

Psalm 31:19-24 (New International Version, ©2011)

19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

There are great rewards for being in a relationship with God.

Some are highlighted in the italics above.

Can you think of any more?

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Has God Changed His View?

I am continuing to read through my Bible and today I was up to Leviticus Chapter 20 and v.13.

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their own blood will be on their own heads."

I looked into the Application Bible for help here....

"This list of commands against sexual sins includes extremely harsh punishments. Why? God had no tolerance for such acts for the following reasons: (1) they shatter the mutual commitment of married partners (2) they destroy the sanctity of the family (3) they twist people's mental well being and, (4) they spread disease. Sexual sin has always been widely available, but the glorification of sex between people who are not married to each other often hides deep tragedy and hurt behind the scenes. When society portrays sexual sins as attractive, it is easy to forget the dark side. God has reasons for prohibiting sexual sins: He loves us and wants the very best for us."

Do you think God has changed His mind on this?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

How Pathetic We Are!

In my 365 Day Bible today...I was up to Mark 14 where Jesus and the disciples are in Gethsemane.

Jesus is praying (and I guess that He was hoping that the disciples, too, would be praying). He goes a little way off for some privacy.

When He comes back....Jesus finds the disciples sleeping.

Some translations read, "Could you not pray with me for one hour?" (v.37)

We might think the disciples are really slack, but I too have trouble focussing my prayer for a length of time.

But the goal is before us: can we not pray for one hour?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Scapegoat.

In Leviticus 16 and verse 21 we learn of the place of the "scapegoat" in the life of the Israelite community.

"He(Aaron) is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites - all their sins - and put them on the goat's head."

The goat is then released into the desert.

We see that this is clearly the forerunner of the role of Jesus - He had all of our sins placed on Him, and was punished for our sin instead of us.

Isn't it amazing how the Scriptures, written over a period in excess of 1400 years by multiple authors, in different places presents us with a unity of thought and purpose.


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

What We Have To Look Forward To.

"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." Mark 13:26-27

Look carefully at those verses....what do we have to look forward to?


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

What Are We To Do?

Jesus pointed out two things for us to do in Mark 12:29-31.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: "Love your neighbour as yourself."

And then Jesus says about this....

"There is no commandment greater than these"

TFTD: Having heard it, we are now to do it.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Amazed By Jesus!

In my reading today there is the wonderful account of Jesus responding to the Pharisees and Herodians when they are trying to "catch him in his words".

It has to do with paying taxes to Caesar. The Jews had objection to it because Caesar considered himself a deity.

Jesus recognised their "hypocrisy" and asked for a coin.

Because it had Caesar's inscription on it Jesus said that it was OK to give to Caesar what was Caesar's, and to give to God what is God's.

The people recognised that as quite an incredible answer, and they were "amazed at him"

TFTD: Are you amazed by Jesus working in your life?


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Be Careful!

My reading this morning was from Leviticus 10. Verses 1 and 2 were particularly relevant for an issue I am dealing with at present.

1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

Our God is a God of order. He established prophets, priests and kings and they had authority (and responsibilities) under Him.

No-one was just to assume the role of a prophet, or a priest, or a king. They were appointed by God for their particular role.

God takes all this seriously, even if some others do not.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Hears!

"Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song."

This is from Psalm 28, verses 6,7.

In the verses prior to this David calls on God not to turn a deaf ear on him and not to remain silent (v.1)

What changes between v.1 and verses 6,7...from God being silent, to God hearing the cry of David?

Exactly that....God heard David's prayer and helped David.


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

A Great Daily Prayer.

In the daily services from the Prayer Book there is this prayer....

"As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and forever. AMEN.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.