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Your Goodness is Running After Me

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by Calven CelliersOne of my current favourite worship songs is Bethel Music’s “Goodness of God” and as you settle down to read this blog post I would encourage you to take 5 minutes to listen to it now. So, tap on link below, meditate upon these lyrics, and allow the truth of these words to fill your cup:https://youtu.be/-f4MUUMWMV4 “1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”  The beauty of this entire Psalm, never mind just this verse, is that it gives us opportunity to thank God for His goodness as we recount His faithfulness and praise Him for it. One commentary that I consulted as I prepared this post made the observation that this Psalm “contains nothing but praise. It is tuned to rapture, and can only be fully enjoyed by a devoutly grateful heart.”Scripture never guarantees us a problem free existence. In fact, Jesus made it quite clear in the Gospel of John 16 that “33 …In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:33NIV) and it’s when you’re in the middle of those tough times that you may very well find yourself asking, “If God is good, why does He allow bad things to happen?” This is a natural response when life is turned upside down. It’s hard to sing about a good Father when you’re slap bang in the middle of difficult circumstances.I’ve personally found that the best way to overcome doubts about God’s goodness is to understand the importance of perspective. We have a ground-level, here-and-now perspective that doesn’t always take the full scope of reality into account. God, however, does. We have a snapshot of reality. God sees the big picture. He has the panoramic, wide-angle lens.Even Jesus had to face difficult and painful things while on earth. He was tortured and endured a painful, unjust death. However, His death and resurrection made a way for us to be reconciled with God. Through something that seemed bad, God was able to do something very good.Sometimes, you will be able to look back at painful seasons in your life and see how God ultimately used them for good. Other times, you will never fully understand the purpose of what you’ve had to endure. That’s when we have to trust that God sees more than we can see. He knows more than we know. He works in ways beyond our comprehension. And if we agree to follow Him only when we understand what He’s doing, we’ll always stop short of experiencing His inexplicable wonders.We are living in a broken world, and sadly bad things do happen to good people, but I want to encourage you with the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to the Church at Rome:“38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our…

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Read more about the article Sometimes God Gives Us What We Want And Not What We Need

Sometimes God Gives Us What We Want And Not What We Need

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“But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”1 Samuel 8:19-22 NIVThe people said: “Give us a king to lead us”Samuel was dismayedTo the LORD God he prayedGod said: “Listen”“It is not you they are rejecting“They have shunned me as their king”God said: “Listen to them“But warn them tooA king will demand his due”Samuel said: “Listen you who want a king“A monarch will claim his rightYour fields, your produce, an army to fight”The people said: “We want a king!”The Lord said: “Listen to them“And give them a king”Samuel acquiesced,The people dispersedSometimes God gives us what we wantAnd not what we needWe are free to choose our course in lifeAnd so we often cause our own strifeYet God still brings blessing from painHe will be King over Israel againThough great evil came from the wickedness of kingsA true King was born to save us from our sins

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“May the Lord Guard Your Coming In and Going Out”

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by Graham MolToday something brought to mind an inscription that had caught my eye during a tour to Israel that we did with a group from the Church in 2013. Here is a photo of it: "May the Lord guard your coming in and going out." This phrase refers to Psalm 121:8"The Lord will guard your going out and your coming inFrom this time and forever" (NASB)I remember thinking at the time, what a wonderful blessing! Today I feel that I have an even deeper appreciation. These words were a prayer over our family during the hard lockdown last year, when leaving the house to go out to the shops felt like an expedition into the unknown. We were all so mindful of the risk of leaving the safe isolation of home to go out among others, potentially exposing ourselves to catching the dreaded coronavirus while we shopped for essential supplies.As we've come through the first and second wave, and restrictions have loosened up, life has settled into a sense of normal where we go out without too much apprehension anymore. We forget what it was like at the worst times last year. Pausing to reflect, as I consider the words of Psalm 121:8, I am grateful that the Lord did guard our coming in and going out. We were shielded from the dreaded infection.As the potential "third wave" looms, I can be at peace as I trust the Lord for continuing to keep watch over us as a family.And so, I say to you, dear reader,"May the Lord guard your coming in and going out." God BlessGraham 

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Signs of the Times

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Guest Postby John Doyle“The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night… So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake... putting on the breastplate of faith and Love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 2,6, 8.  Have noticed that many who are going through difficult times in Lockdown are searching for signs indicating “end times" and “rapture”. Its very prevalent on Social Media as people try to interpret the stories behind the Coronavirus told Globally.  So what do we know about the end of the world? Just as importantly, what don’t we know? And how should we live in light of this knowledge? Let these Biblical truths guide you as you pray for God to give you wisdom and peace in these difficult times. Understand the Truth About the End Times How is the world going to end? Can anyone predict when it will happen? How bad will things get before Jesus comes back? We don't have all the answers but I do have just 2 points that I trust will encourage you in these difficult times. 1. Make Sure You’re Ready “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! And He Who sat on him was called called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war” - Revelation 19:11 Jesus Christ came to earth as a suffering Servant, He will return as conquering King. A day of reckoning is coming, and we are invited in Gods Word to be Ready - Matt 24:44 "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh". As believers let's remind the people out there to give their hearts to Jesus in repentance and faith knowing that the King of Kings will come one day and "capture His bride away" and so we do need to encourage people to become part of that Bride that they too will be ready for that Day. The Bible says it’s not “if” but “when” Jesus Christ will come back to judge the earth. By choosing to follow Christ now, you can ensure you’ll have eternal life in Heaven. That's the most important message we can give to the peoples of this Earth at this time. Know the Signs by reading Gods Word. While the Bible makes it clear that no human being knows when the world will end, it also says there will be signs that Jesus’ return is approaching. The best source for understanding signs of the end times is the Bible itself. Take a careful look at some of the things Jesus said about His return.Please read about signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24Read about the coming of the Kingdom in Luke 17Read about what Jesus foretold in Luke 21Great passages of scripture that would be great reading for you at this time. From the coronavirus pandemic to natural disasters, many people are asking whether specific events are signs of the end times. The…

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