Where Our Riches Are Stored!

The reading for today was the Parable of the Rich Fool....

it ends like this....

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores  up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 121:21)

TFTD: We can be rich in the things of the world.....but never neglect being rich towards God.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What To Be Afraid Of!

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell."  (Luke 12:4,5)

Legalism.

In Jesus' day, the Pharisees were very legalistic. They would uphold the law, but not do the right thing.

Jesus said about them....

"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone." (Luke 11:42)

TFTD: It is easy for us to criticise the Pharisees, but to fall into legalism ourselves. Beware!



Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Keep Walking.

Deuteronomy 5:33

"Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Warned To Be Careful.

Deuteronomy 4:9

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live."

That is good advice isn't it?



Have  a great day,



Peter Clark.

Two Encouragements For Today...

Luke Chapter 9 and a part of verse 19....  "nothing will harm you".

This was great reassurance for the disciples of Jesus as they were sent out on mission.

The second thing Jesus says to encourage them is in verse 20  "rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Greatness Of God.

In Luke 9 and verse 43 we see the response of a large crowd (v.37) to the healing of the boy with an evil spirit...

..."And they were all amazed at the greatness of God."

What was their understanding of who Jesus was?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

How Odd.

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for me will save it..." 

Giving up the world, and living for God.

Jesus goes on to say...."What good is it for a person to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self."

Luke 9:23f


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Nothing Foolish About This.

There were thousands of people wandering around in the desert on their way to the Promised Land.

Not all made it.

In fact, only two: Caleb and Joshua.

What did they do that the others didn't?

Numbers 32 verse 12 "....for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly."

TFTD: Are YOU doing that?



Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Resurrection Day

Christ is risen.....He is risen indeed.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

"It Was Good...It Was Very Good"

Not only did God just speak and everything came into being....

....not only was it "good"....

but it was "very good".

There was no disorder, nothing "dark" or threatening.

The world was created by God to bless those living in it and to sustain life.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

"And It Was So"

Simple words aren't they?

"And it was so" (Genesis 1:6)

God was creating....and all He had to do was speak....."and it was so"

God brings everything into being by simply speaking....and it happens.

That is what we learn from Genesis....that God created.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Wow...Look At This.

In Luke 7 we see Jesus raising the Widow's Son from death to life.

The reaction?

"They were all filled with awe and praised God. A great prophet has appeared among us, they said, God has come to help his people." (v.16)

Isn't it strange, that people (on the whole) do not accept that testimony?



Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Having Our Eyes Opened.

In Numbers 22:31 God opens Balaam's eyes.

This was after Balaam's donkey spoke to him and tried to bring him to his senses.

Sometimes we need a donkey to speak to us - to bring us to our senses.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

No Turning Hearts.

Proverbs 7:25

"Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths."

This section of Proverbs is warning the young man of the adulteress - in very graphic language, but the warning stands true for anyone being wooed away from their faith.

I have seen it too often.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Moses' Disobedience.

It seems so harmless to us....

But not to God!

In the wilderness, the people of God are after water.

God says to Moses, "Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water..." Numbers 20:8).

Moses doesn't do that. We see in verse 11 "Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff...."

God's response...

"But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." (v.12)

What do you think about that?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Jesus, Not To Be Distracted.

Luke 4:42

"At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent. And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea."

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

A Question For Today.

In Numbers 14 and verse 11 the Lord asks a question of Moses....

"The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them."

A very good question.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

How Much Does God Love Us?

I taught Kindergarten Scripture in Schools for over 30 years.

Many of those years involved using the Youthworks material for that age group.

The key verse of theme of the whole series "Beginning With God" was......

"The love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
     your faithfulness to the skies" (Psalm 36:5)

Not a bad thing to keep in mind for our lives.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

My Prayer....Our Prayer.

From Psalm 35 and verse 23 I cam across these words today....

"Awake, and rise to my defence!
     Contend for me, my God and Lord."

There are some things we cannot handle....we do not know HOW to handle them, and so this is our prayer - asking, pleading God to act on our behalf.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

John The Baptist Speaks...

John the Baptist didn't mince his words (which in the end brought about his death).

I would like to give you a few examples from Luke 3....

"...preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (v.3)

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (v.8)

"....He (Jesus) will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear the threshing floor...." (v.16,17)

Have a great day, unafraid of making bold statements.

Peter Clark.

Helpful Bookends!

Psalm 35 verses 1-10 have two very helpful bookends (v.1 & v.10)

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

Verse 9,10 "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, the poor and needy from those who rob them."


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Evil Is VERY Seductive!

Listen to these words....it is very difficult not to be captivated by them....

....unless we are warned...this poor sod is about to be swallowed up....


"Come, let's drink deep of love till morning;
     let's enjoy ourselves with love!" Proverbs 7:18


What she didn't tell her victim was this....

"Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home...at every corner she lurks... (vs 10-12)

in addition to this....

"My husband is not at home, he has gone on a long journey....." (v.19-20)

Be warned....all is not what it seems,


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The Aaronic Blessing.

"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."

Numbers 6:24-26


Have a very blessed day,


Peter Clark.

The Word Of God.

In Psalm 19 I read this morning that the purpose of God giving us His Word is so that it will have four results in our lives....

"revive the soul" (v.7)

"make us wise" (v.7)

"give joy to our hearts" (v.8)

"give light to our eyes" (v.8)


TFTD: There is a great encouragement to read the Word of God isn't there?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Looking For The Truth...Looking For....

When Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin we see that they, and the chief priests of the Jewish nation are not looking to discover "truth" but rather they were "looking for false evidence against Jesus...."
(Matthew 26:59)

They did this by encouraging false witnesses to come forward - liars!

Isn't that odd behaviour for men of such position?

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

How Must It Have Felt?

We have all been lonely at some point or other.....but what must it be like to be totally alone.

I would imagine that some Christian believers in Islamic dominated countries must know the feeling, especially with their families also against them!

It struck me this morning that Jesus would have known the agony of that.

In Matthew 26 and verse 56 we read these words....."then all the disciples deserted him and fled"

It must have been really terrible - that feeling of utter loneliness.

There are less people in churches these days AND there are more lonely people.

Very unnecessary.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

John The Baptist's Job Description.

I came across John the Baptist's Job Description this morning and it struck me that it was very similar to my own.....

Luke 1:17c  ".....to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Living.

Proverbs 4:10-19

The Right Way and the Wrong Way To Live.

¹⁰ My child, if you listen
and obey my teachings,
    you will live a long time.
¹¹ I have shown you the way
    that makes sense;
    I have guided you
    along the right path.
¹² Your road won’t be blocked,
    and you won’t stumble
    when you run.
¹³ Hold firmly to my teaching
and never let go.
    It will mean life for you.
¹⁴ Don’t follow the bad example
    of cruel and evil people.
¹⁵     Turn aside and keep going.
    Stay away from them.
¹⁶ They can’t sleep or rest
until they do wrong
    or harm
    some innocent victim.
¹⁷ Their food and drink
    are violence and cruelty.

¹⁸ The lifestyle of good people
    is like sunlight at dawn
    that keeps getting brighter
    until broad daylight.
¹⁹ The lifestyle of the wicked
    is like total darkness,
    and they will never know
    what makes them stumble.

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

God Creates.

Psalm 19 reminded me this morning of the marvellous acts of God in creation.

The heavens keep telling
    the wonders of God,
    and the skies declare
    what he has done.
² Each day informs
    the following day;
    each night announces
    to the next.
³ They don’t speak a word,
    and there is never
    the sound of a voice.
⁴ Yet their message reaches
    all the earth,
    and it travels
    around the world.

In the heavens a tent
    is set up for the sun.
⁵ It rises like a bridegroom
    and gets ready like a hero
    eager to run a race.
⁶ It travels all the way
across the sky.
    Nothing hides from its heat.

God created the heavens and the earth.



Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

A Plot To Be Rid Of Jesus.

Mark 14:55

"The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any."

Jesus upset their lifestyle and so they wanted to be ridden of him so they could live as they pleased.

Isn't that what most people do with Jesus today?


Have a good day,



Peter Clark.

A New Way Of Looking At Things.

Isn't it interesting how we have developed a new way of looking at old behaviours.

Exodus 20 and verse 13 expresses the view of God on homosexuality.

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable...."

I wonder if God knows that things have moved on from there?

Or have they?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Follow The Example.

In Exodus 19 and verse 2 God says....

"Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."

"holy" means set apart for a special Godly purpose.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

What Has God Done For You?

The Psalmist recognises that God has made an enormous difference in this life.

See Psalm 30 and verses 11 & 12.

"You turned my wailing into dancing; 
     you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
     O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."

Have a day filled with JOY,



Peter Clark.

Try Doing This!

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength...."  (Mark 12:30)

Who of us has done this perfectly?

We should need no other convincing that we are sinners and need the grace of God in our lives.



Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Truth From Jesus.

"Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather" (Matthew 24:28)

How true is that? Vultures gather at the carcass of idea - an idea with with no Biblical or common sense foundation.

Vultures also gather around the carcass of critics of ministry.

Vultures gather around the carcass of those who cannot move out of the past.


Have a good day,


Peter Clark.

Don't Fall For This.

There are two very bad things we should not fall for....

Jesus said, "Are you not in error because you DO NOT KNOW THE SCRIPTURES, or THE POWER OF GOD."

Mark 12:24


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Rejected By Men, But....

I was reminded this morning that although Jesus was the centrepiece of God's plans and purposes he was rejected by the very ones who should have embraced him...

"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,
the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes." Mark 12:11


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What WAS Their Problem?

In Mark 11:18 we read this....

"The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."

We see there that they "feared him". Why? Because the "whole crowd was amazed at his teaching"

Is that any legitimate reason to kill anyone?

What was that  brought about all this hate?

Jesus called on the Temple being made "a house of prayer".

Is that all? That is enough for some people.

All that is mind blowing isn't it?


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Example Is Christ.

"Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43)


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Like A Little Child?

Jesus says in Mark 10 and verse 15 "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

What are the characteristics of little children that we must emulate before we can be a part of the Kingdom of God?

What do you think?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Life Is Dangerous.

I read from Psalm 17 this morning and it reminded me that life is dangerous, BUT God overcomes...

"Keep me as the apple of your eye;
     hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who assail me,
     from my mortal enemies who surround me." (v.8,9)


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Obedience!

Throughout Exodus 39 & 40 we see a phrase repeated and repeated...

".....as the LORD commanded Moses"  Eighteen times.

At the end of that Section we then read.......

"And so Moses finished the work" (40:33)

"....the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (40:35)

TFTD: Our obedience finishes with the glory of the Lord.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Speaks.

God speaks....do we listen?

Today in my readings there were lots of helpful and applicable snippets, like.....

"You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Mark 8:33)

"...whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:35)

"....What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

"...if any is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him....." (Mark 8:38)


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Psalm For Today.

Psalm 40:6-11

⁶ Sacrifices and offerings
    are not what please you;
    gifts and payment for sin
    are not what you demand.
But you made me willing
    to listen and obey.
⁷ And so, I said, “I am here
    to do what is written
    about me in the book,
    where it says,
⁸ ’I enjoy pleasing you.
    Your Law is in my heart.’”

⁹ When your people worshiped,
you know I told them,
    “Our Lord always helps!”
¹⁰ When all your people met,
    I did not keep silent.
I said, “Our Lord is kind.
    He is faithful and caring,
    and he saves us.”

¹¹ You, Lord, never fail
    to have pity on me;
    your love and faithfulness
    always keep me secure.

God Makes A Difference.

When Moses met with God he was different. God changes us.

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD." (Exodus 34:29)



Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

What Bezalel Had!

Bezalel was an artisan set aside by God to work on the Tent of Meeting and the ark of Testimony.

To aid him in his work - God equipped him.

"....and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts..."   (Exodus 31:3)

TFTD: We have the Spirit of God to assist us in our lives too.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Content Of Disciples Preaching.

What did the disciples say, when they were sent out preaching?

I presume they were tutored by Jesus.

In Mark 6 and verse 12 we read this....."They went out and preached that people should repent."

They were calling on people to turn from "sin and death"


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

"But They Laughed At Him"

In Mark 5 Jesus raises a girl from death to life.

He told the professional mourners "the child is not dead, but asleep" (v.39)

"But they laughed at him" (v.40)

I bet the smile was wiped from their face when the little girl started running around?

There will become a point in time when the whole truth of the gospel will impact on every single person in the world....

...where will the smiles be then?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Nature Obeys Jesus.

In Mark 4 we read of the incident when Jesus calms the storm. He simply speaks to the wind and the waves and they quieten down immediately.

The disciples are terrified and ask "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:41)

TFTD: Who is the "climate change" controller?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

God Is In No Hurry.

In Exodus while Moses and the Hebrew people are in the wilderness, God calls Moses to go up onto the mountain.

This is what happens.....note how very unhurried God is!

"When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:15-18)

TFTD: Why is it that we expect God to act in our lives immediately?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Isn't It Sad.

I was reading Mark Chapter 3 and we see there that there were some people actively on the lookout for a reason to accuse Jesus.

They find it when he heals a man with a shriveled hand.

Jesus is "deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts" (v.5)

After that....the Pharisees joined with the Herodians and discussed how they might kill Jesus.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Jesus' Priority.

I was reminded agains this morning of the priority that Jesus gave to preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

"Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby  villages - so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come." (Mark 1:38)

TFTD: Perhaps proclaiming the Kingdom of God should be a priority for us also.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Two Calls From God.

In Mark Chapter 1 we see the first disciples receiving two calls....

The first is calling them INTO the Kingdom of God - "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news" (1:15)

They arrive there by "repenting" - turning their lives around to head in God's direction and "believing" all there is to believe about Jesus.

The second call is a call to GO OUT into the world - to follow Jesus and to "fish for men" (1:17)

TFTD: These are exactly the same two calls on our lives.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Jesus' Resurrection.

The reading set down for today includes the reaction of various disciples to seeing the resurrected Jesus.

The guards were afraid to see the angel.

The women were afraid.

They were also filled with joy.

The women worshipped Jesus when they saw him.

The disciples, when they saw him - worshipped him - but some doubted.

TFTD: What a range of emotions, reactions and experiences.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Much Needed Advice.

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.....The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still."

Go LORD...there is so much in my life and ministry that I have no control over - the LORD has - all I need to do is to be still.

Not easy....but I think I can do that.


Have a great (still) day,



Peter Clark.

Do This.

Hebrews 3:12-14 came up as the reading in our morning prayers today.

"My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today". If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end."

TFTD: We have to be prepared in the "good" days for the "bad" days around the corner.


Have a great (trusting) day,


Peter Clark.

Please Pray For Secret Believers.

There is a great need for us to be praying for a breakthrough in countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

Pray that secret believers will grow in number as they find each other, have fellowship and that they will receive an urgent desire to share the gospel with their countrymen.

Pray for their protection as they do so.



Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Prayer For The Speaker.

"May the words of my mouth and the 
      meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my 
     Redeemer."

Psalm 19:14

God IS In Control.

I read this morning....

"The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil." (Matthew 13:41)

There are some shoes that I definitely would not like to be in!

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Continues To Care For Us.

In the Book of Exodus we see the Hebrews struggling under slavery in Egypt.

They cry out to God....

"The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them."  Exodus 2:23,24

TFTD: God hears and sees our pain and suffering and is concerned about us. Remember that.

Have a great (reassured) day,

Peter Clark.

A Prayer For Today.

God who wonderfully created us and even more wonderfully restored our humanity: strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to triumph over suffering and death, and grant us eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

Keep Watch!

The clear message from today's reading is to keep our eyes open for the return of Jesus.

He is coming back, and we have to be ready - expecting His return.

The reading was from Matthew 25 and verses 1 to 13 - the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

You know the story - they were to be waiting for the bridegroom and some of them had not been prepared and brought enough oil to keep their lamps burning for the whole time.

Some run out of oil and try to scrounge some from the others - the ones who came prepared.

They have to go away and find some oil.

While they are away the bridegroom comes and they miss seeing him.

TFTD: The message for us is in the last verse....

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Have a great watching day,


Peter Clark.

Being There At The End.

In this life it is important that we not only start well but finish well.

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew.....

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (24:12,13)

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Holds Everything Together.

Today I read in Job Chapter 34 and verses 14 and 15...

"If it were his (God's) intention
     and he withdrew his spirit and breath,
all mankind would perish together
     and man would return to dust."

TFTD: That is what God is going to do one day when he finishes with, and rolls up the world.


Have a great day (until then)


Peter  Clark.

What God Has Done For Me.

This morning.....Psalm 18 it struck me, that on my becoming a Christian many years ago, I was opened up to the world in a whole new way.

This verse says it all...

"He brought me out into a spacious place;
     he rescued me because he delighted in me"

There are three things here worth dwelling on...

1.     We have been take out into a more spacious place - being given great understanding, with a world   view that "makes sense" of everything.
2.     We have been rescued from the shallowness that make up many lives. We have also been rescued from an eternal absence of God.
3.     We are "delighted in" - by God - how good is that.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Special Prayer For Today.

Loving God, your Son came to seek and to save the lost,
and was baptised with sinners:
grant that we, who have been baptised in his name,
may reach out in love to those in need
with the mercy of Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you, for ever and ever. AMEN.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

God Hears And Responds.

PSALM 18:1-6

I love you, Lord God,
    and you make me strong.
² You are my mighty rock,
    my fortress, my protector,
    the rock where I am safe,
my shield,
    my powerful weapon,
    and my place of shelter.

³ I praise you, Lord!
    I prayed, and you rescued me
    from my enemies.
⁴ Death had wrapped
    its ropes around me,
    and I was almost swallowed
    by its flooding waters.

⁵ Ropes from the world
of the dead
    had coiled around me,
    and death had set a trap
    in my path.
⁶ I was in terrible trouble
    when I called out to you,
but from your temple
you heard me
    and answered my prayer.

Fair Dinkum Serving.

Matthew 20:25-28

Jesus called them together and said, "you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

TFTD: That is a great pattern for us, isn't it?


Peter Clark.

Life Is Short.

It appears that even a long life is short!

I read this today,

"Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away, like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure." (Job 14:1,2)

TFTD: Life comes and goes so quickly.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

I Wouldn't Want To Spend Eternity There!

Job 10:21-22

"....the place of no return,
     to the land of gloom and deep shadow,
to the land of deepest night,
     of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness."


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

A Prayer For Sunday.

Lord God, whose blessed Son rose in triumph and set us free: grant us the fullness of life he promised us, that through the Holy Spirit our hearts may possess him whom our eyes cannot see, the same Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Confidence.

If we have the LORD in our life, we have all we need.

I was reminded of this today from Psalm 16:8

"I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

Being Truthful,Even When It Is Inconvenient.

Psalm 15:4 reminded me of this today...

".....who keeps his oath....even when it hurts"

We are to be truthful, even when it hurts US or SOMEONE ELSE.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The Best Question Ever.

I wonder....what is the best question that has ever been asked?

We see interviews on the television and hear them on the radio.

Every now and then the person being interviews says "that's a very good question"

It give them a little extra time to construct an answer.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:25 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a person if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?"

That is a good question isn't it. What good is it really if we own great heaps in this world (and it will all last for 50,60,70,80 or perhaps 90 years, but lose out on eternity (which lasts longer than forever!)

TFTD: Really, what is the point of that?



Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Our Testimony.

There are some words Psalm 13:5,6  that I would love to be able to say that they are my everyday, ongoing testimony...

"But I trust in your unfailing love;
     my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
     for he has been good to me."

TFTD: In 2013 let us try and match up our behaviour with our words. Let us try and reduce our "hypocrisy gap".

Ha e a great day,


Peter Clark

Not Much Control...

We have limited control over what goes into our mind.

We can be selective in what books we read and what movies and television we watch.

But we do not have complete control....some things better left outside, sneak in.

However, we do have complete control over what comes out of our mouth and heart.

Jesus said,

"What goes into a person's mouth does not make him "unclean",  but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him "unclean". (Matthew 15:11)

"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a person "unclean". (Matthew 15:18)

TFTD: Be prepared and filter what goes into your life.....put a stopper on the unclean things that come out.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Hearts And Lips In Sync!

Jesus recognised it in the people he saw around him.

Hypocrisy!

Hearts and speech being out of tune.

Matthew 15:8

"These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

TFTD: We have to fight against hypocrisy in our lives.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Are You Ever Tempted....

Are You Ever Tempted....to big note yourself? Talk yourself up? Claim achievements for yourself that rightfully belong to someone else?

In Genesis 40 the cupbearer and baker to the King of Egypt have dreams that they do not understand.

They claim that there is no-one to interpret the dreams.

Joseph says, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (v.8)

Joseph could have easily taken all the credit, but he always attributes to God the interpretation of dreams.

TFTD: Shouldn't we be giving the credit to God for the goodness He displays in our lives.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What Can I Do?

A question turned up in the reading of the Psalms this morning (11:3)

"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

We see the foundations being eroded all around us and we feel helpless and hopeless to do anything about it.

The very next verse is "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne...."

God is sovereign and in the end He is going to deal with all evil.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

A Parable Of Pastoral Ministry.

Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
The owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?"
"An enemy did this," he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull then up?"
"No," he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn"

God Is Always There.

Jacob is told to "go up to Bethel and settle there...." (Genesis 35:1)

He does as he is told and his testimony is this.....

"...God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." (v.3)

God is not "in the distance" but there, close to us...for when we call upon Him.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Authority Over People.

As we read through the Gospels we cannot help but be struck by the way Jesus has authority over people.

We see that he has authority over nature in episodes like the calming of the sea.

We see that he has authority over sickness and death, like in the raising from the dead - Lazarus.

In my reading today, I see that he has this amazing authority over people.

Jesus sees the tax collector, Matthew sitting at his table and simply says to him, "Follow me".

And Matthew does.

How good is that?


Have a great day,

Peter Clark.

The Single Purpose of Life.

The Scriptures are very clear....

After death, we will be treated by God, how we treated him in this life.

The single purpose of life!

Matthew 10:32 says this....

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Whom Should We Fear?

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Keep On, Keeping On.

In life - it is not how we start, but how we finish.

Jesus says, in Matthew 10:22 ".....but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Stick with your relationship with Jesus, right through....to the end.

You will not regret it.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Giving Birth To Evil.

Do you know anyone who is evil?

There is a description of an evil person in Psalm 7:14

"He who is pregnant with evil,
     and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment."

...."being pregnant with evil"!

It is a good description, isn't it?

Always being ready to use each and every situation for their own evil - causing discouragement and disillusionment.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

The Men Were Amazed.

In Matthew 8:23f Jesus calms the storm.

After he does this (in full view of the experienced fishermen that he was with) they exclaim....

"The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

A little while after this, Jesus heals two demon possessed men. The reaction of the people of the town too, were overawed by Jesus.....

But they had an entirely different response....

"Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region." (Matthew 8:34)


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Phew!

Abraham was a man of great faith - a great man of great faith!

In Genesis 22 we see him obediently taking his son to be sacrificed (although he seemed to know all along the way that God would provide a sacrifice).

But he continues on - even to the "11th" hour....

Until..... "Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram fought by its horns" (Genesis 22:13)

He must have been very pleased to see that.

We often don't see God at work because we are too impatient for action ad so we step in and do what has to be done.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

What I Do...Not What I Say!

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNISE THEM."

The fruit of our life is very important.


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Good Advice.

Matthew 6:25

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear......But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Money In Perspective.

Matthew 6:19-24

Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them.²⁰ Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

Light

²² Your eyes are like a window for your body. When they are good, you have all the light you need. ²³ But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light inside you is dark, you surely are in the dark.

Money

²⁴ You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The Men Of Sodom.

Here I go starting the Bible again for this year.

In Genesis 13 I read of Lot, living amongst the cities of the plain "pitched his tents near Sodom".

Bad move...

Verse 13 of Chapter 13 "Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD."

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The Difference We Make.

What sort of difference do we make to this troubled world in which we live?

Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth";   "You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:13,1`4)

Did you realise how important you are in God's scheme of things?


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The Difference The Messiah Makes.

The Old Testament Prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming of the Messiah in these words. This was the effect that he was to have on people...

"....the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."   (Matthew 4:16)

Is that how it was for you?

Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

The Powerful Jesus.

Matthew Chapter 3:11-12

"He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Wow!


Have a great day,



Peter Clark.

Praise God For Our Wives.

God knew that it was not the ideal, to be alone, but to have a mate.

"The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."(Genesis 2:18)

Let us thank God for our wives and husbands.


Have a great day,


Peter Clark.

Blessed Is The Person...

Psalm 1...."Blessed is the man.....

.....his delight is in the law of the LORD"

A good start to the new year.


Have a great one,


Peter Clark.