Living And Dying.

Romans 14:1-18

"For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Being Accountable.

Each of us will have to, in the end, give an account of what we have done with the life that we have been given.

Romans 14:12

"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."


That is clear enough, isn't it?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Getting Dressed.

Romans 13 compares living the Christian life to getting dressed.

What are you going to put on?

".....So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."(vs 12-14)


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The "P" Word.

For some there is just no getting over the "P" word - predestination.

It comes up in Ephesians 1:5


"....he (our Heavenly Father) predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ ...."

A couple of things to say, hopefully to shed some light and not confusion.

Never in the Scriptures do we see people predestined to hell. God doesn't say that. We have made that up.

People are not predestined, acts are. It seems to me that predestination is the act of sending Jesus to be born as a baby, to grow, to live, to die and to rise again. This is the act that has led us to be adopted as sons and daughters of God.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Chosen Too.

In verse 4 Paul says that we have been chosen "in Him" (in Christ).

This is confusing and has caused much confusion over the years.

Somehow or other (I don't know) God is sovereign in doing this, AND we have freedom to choose.

Both are true and we have to hold them as true.

When you think of it.....it wouldn't be quite right if we had a full and perfect grasp of every detail of life.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Don't Doubt This.

I have been looking at Ephesians this week - amazing - mind blowing.

In my first sitting this verse jumped out at me...

"....our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ......" (v.3)

Doesn't that just blow your socks off? We have blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing.

No sprinkling here....only full saturation.

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Having Our Eyes Set.

How are we to live?

Romans 8:5


".... but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Paul's Dilemma.

Paul's dilemma is our dilemma too...

Why do we want to do the right thing.....but cannot do it?

Romans 7:22

"For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members."

He goes on to write and ask who will rescue him from this state?

"Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

It is through Jesus that we are rescued and redeemed, bought back, forgiven.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Death and Life.

Romans 6:23 puts before us the very clear distinction between "life" and "death".

The choice between these eternal states is up to us,

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."


In the Old Testament Joshua, (before he enters the Promised Land) makes a challenge to his family...

"...choose this day who you will serve"

That is our choice too.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Our Time Is Limited.

It would seem that our opportunities for responding to God's Gospel of Grace are limited.

Our chance will run out.

Hosea 5:6

"When they go with their flocks and herds
     to seek the LORD,
they will not find him;
     he has withdrawn himself from them."


How sad is that? Is it happening now?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Charge Against Our Nation.

I came across this today in Hosea 4:1c - 3(that means the last part of verse 1)

"There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of in the land,
     there is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they all bounds,
     and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Because of this the land mourns,
     and all who live in it waste away...."

This, it seems to me, is a growing prophesy for our country.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What I Want...

I came across a short description of what I would like to happen in everyone's life....

Psalm 83:16b and 18:b

"....so that men (and women and children) will seek your name, O LORD."

and

".... that you alone are the Most High over all the earth."


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Abraham Had It Right.

Paul, writing to the Christian believers in Rome, speaking of Abraham, said....

"(Abraham was) fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." (Romans 5:21)

Are you?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Something In Common

What is one thing that God has in common with many in our society?

Amos 5:21

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies."


What do you think about that?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Great Word.

2 Timothy 1:10

".....Christ Jesus.....has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

How good is that?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Bit Of Common Sense.

Common sense is not as common as we might think.

In Proverbs 17:14 it says this about fighting...

"Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
     so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."


There are some things we should just drop....there are other matters that we would be better just to let go.

The wisdom is knowing which is which!


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Choose This Day.......

We are making choices every minute of every day.

I came across this framework for making good choices.

Romans 2:7,8

"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger."


Which way are you going to go?


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Winning But Losing.

This morning I read of Jonah again (I love Jonah). In Chapter 2 and verse 8 (in his prayer to God) he prays....

"....Those who cling to worthless idols
          forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

As we do cling to all the worthless things of this life (He who has the most toys in the end wins!), we are not winning,

But missing out on the grace that might have been ours.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Great Place To Be!

"How lovely is your dwelling place,
     O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
     for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out 
     for the living God. (Psalm 84:1,2)

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Josiah - A Good Model.

In 2 Kings we are introduced to Josiah. He was the one who found the Book of the Law after so many decades of neglect.

We learn that, "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." (v.2)

Doing what is right in God's eyes....

Walking in God's ways.....

Not being distracted off the path of our discipleship....

This is the way to go.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Lord Is Near.

In Acts 22 and 23 we see Paul suffering for his faith in Christ and in his role of proclaiming the Gospel.

In Chapter 22 he is beaten by a crowd, rescued by the Romans and beaten by them because he is assumed to have done something wrong.

Paul gets a chance to defend himself and the Pharisees and Sadducees begin arguing with each other.

The Romans have to whisk Paul away for his own safety.

We are told then, "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.'" (v.11)

We can only speculate what form this appearance of the Lord took.

The comfort we can gain from this is, that the Lord is never very far away.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Real Value Is In God.

In passing conversation the other day, someone commented to me about the devaluing of human life.

It is true isn't it? We hear of so much violence, assaults, stabbings and shootings.

It seems clear to me, that the more our society turns their backs on God, the less regard there is for human life.

I came across a comment in 2 Kings 17 and verse 15 this morning...

".....They (the nation of Israel) followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless."

A lot of our time is taken up with "becoming worthless"

What do you think?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Laughing At Jesus

In Mark 5 Jesus is heading off to Jairus'house to heal his daughter.

On the way they hear that the daughter has died.

Jesus tells them that the girl is not dead but not sleeping.

They "laughed at him"(v.39)

Laughing at Jesus because they had no idea who he was... ...the one who knows ultimate reality.

Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth (ultimate truth;ultimate reality)and the the life"

In the end,who was right?


 Have a great day,

 Peter Clark.

Meditate On This...

I came across this Bible verse in the Bible Society Prayer Diary yesterday.

Colossians 1:12 "....giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light."


This verse reminds us of the appropriate response to our Heavenly Father - "JOYFUL THANKS".

It also reminds us that being "in Christ", along with all other believers,  we are qualified to share in all the heavenly blessings.

Think about that for a while.

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

A Feast Of Bible Gems.

As I read my Bible this morning there is a feast of delights.

What wil I choose to share with you?

How about this?

"I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." (Acts 26:20)

I like this idea...it means that we don't just have to "talk the talk", but "walk the walk".

And what about this..... Paul preaching in Acts 26:22b,23

"I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."


This affirms the unity of the Old and New Testaments, outlines the importance of the resurrection, describes the understanding that comes through the Gospel as LIGHT (or enlightenment) and its destination - the Jews AND the Gentiles.

Then how about this.....

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 16:25)

That speaks for itself, doesn't it?

Have a  great day,


Peter Clark

Don't Forget To Add This...

In Acts 18 Paul is moving from place to place on his missionary journey.

Before moving on, or making a decision about staying he would add, "....if it is God's will."

That is a good idea for us...we might have our plans, but are our plans a part of what God wants for us?

Have a great day.


Peter Clark.

With God, We Have The Numbers.

In 2 Kings 5 we see the "servant of God" overwhelmed with opposition - serious opposition.

He asks of Elijah, "Oh, my Lord, what shall we do?" (v.15)

Elijah answers, "Don't be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (v.16)

For all who face opposition, remember, with God we have the numbers.


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

Breaking The Camel's Back.

In Acts 22 we do see the straw that breaks the camel's back every time (as it relates to our Christian faith).

"The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"(v.22)

What terrible thing did he say to warrant such an extreme reaction?

We see it in the verse before, "Then the Lord said to me, "Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles"(v.21)

As I see it, we can be as "religious" as we like, be as "churchie", as liturgical, as formal, or as reformed, or contemporary etc. as long as we do not become so enthusiastic about a living faith that we long to share with others - do that and you will be persecuted (to various degrees).

Paul was called by the Lord, to action.

As long as our "faith" is held tight in a nice little package - everyone is happy!

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Getting It Right.

We might well ask, "What is the way ahead.....what should I do?"

Proverbs 16 and verse 9 is helpful - putting it all in perspective.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Calling And Task.

I was reminded this morning that Paul's (Saul's) calling was closely connected with his task or mission.

Acts 22:21  "Then the Lord said to me, "Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles."


Thank God that he did.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

It Could Be Today!

This morning I read a portion of Psalm 78:56-59.

"But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes, like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them he was very angry..."


TFTD: when it comes to your relationship with God....are YOU like a faulty bow?

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.