The Answer to Global Warming

I recently heard on the news that the British Government considers Global Warming (which, they say, is caused by Climate Change), is the world's greatest threat. If they are right, then the heat, drought and fires we are experiencing at present are just symptoms of a larger problem and although attacking those symptoms may have some temporary benefit, the only lasting and successful solution is to eliminate climate change. How do we do that? Well it is a world-wide problem and I think most people agree that wee need cooperation from all nations, and that would be ideal, but it will not happen easily.

Next we need to agree on the cause, and I am sorry to say, that Atheistic Green thinking has stolen the show by condemning the burning of coal in Power Station and Smelting works, but this will not solve the problem, and it is impossible to implement anyway, as the United Nations is not united on this issue. Many countries re thrilled with the thought of green energy though because they now have a wonderful new industry; making millions of solar panels and millions of gigantic wind turbines; of course, to do this, the greens fail to mention that it is now necessary to mine more coal in order to operate the smelters and mine more minerals to make these "green" products. So do expect carbon emissions to decrease any time soon. Consequently, all the above efforts are a massive failure as far as reducing greenhouse gasses is concerned. But don;t let it bother you, because the whole hypothesis is wrong anyway, as those gases are not the problem. God (who designed the Earth) factored all that in when He gave us easily accessible coal to use.

You see, most Governments of the world don't believe in God, so they assume that if there is a problem, then it is a physical thing that they can fix if their scientists put their minds to it. However, things like severe droughts were documented in the Bible thousands of years ago as a Spiritual problem, which can only be fixed by cooperating with the God that they mostly don't believe in. So that being the case, you can see we do have a dreadful difficulty to overcome. It is ridiculous therefore, that people, confronted by heat, drought and fire, take the matter into their own hands and try to solve this global warming problem without even reading the instruction book that describes the reason for the problem and how to fix it. Such behaviour is arrogance, or ignorance, at its worst. God's instructions are very, very clear on this. Allow me to quote from our manufacturer's instruction book: take Leviticus 26:19-20 for example, where God says that if we ignore His commandments and instructions for living (and we certainly have) "I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: and your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits." However, if we do obey Him He agrees to reverse all that. This is also confirmed in other places, like 2 Chronicles 7:14 where God, when talking  about drought and pests says, "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Now, these are not idle words like those spoken by some half-hearted parent to disobedient children. No! They are the words of an all powerful God of the Universe to His wayward family. Over the hundreds of years His dealings with the Israeli people, illustrates this, (as recorded in the Old Testament). God did exactly what He said above, and when He go fed-up with their constant disobedience, He even sent the Babylonians to conquer them and rule over them for many years, (as He had also foreshadowed that He would do), and He has not rescinded that option. So we would do well to obey Him for a change, as we must realise that obedience is paramount in the eyes of God.

This God who is "the same yesterday, today and forever", is the only one capable of adjusting the earth's climate. So if we don't like the symptoms of drought, heat and fire, we had better do as He said. In other words: Stop teaching Atheism, Humble ourselves before this Almighty God and Pray for forgiveness. Reverse our wicked ways and even rescind some recent legislation that defies the Bible. If we do that, His promised is to "forgive our sin and heal our land," still stands. If (on the other hand) we are too pig-headed and proud to do that, then read the above quotes in your own Bible or online, and you will see that there is a limit to what the Almighty God will put up with. One thing is for sure, closing coal fired power stations will not solve the problem, and is impossible to implement anyway, because (as I said) the "United Nations" are not "united" on this issue. In others words: We must repent or put up with what we have earned, and if our nation won't do as the Bible says, then the best you can do personally, is make sure that you have accepted the forgiveness God has offered you through Jesus' sacrifice, then pray for our country, and help others to understand Jesus' love for them. Best wishes, Tom

Sincerity and Faith are what is important. Is that True?

Some people tell me that they believe that all religions worship God, and it really doesn't matter, providing we are sincere and have faith. Just let us look at a couple of practice examples of that type of thinking to see if it is right. Our first picture is that of an English ship, called the "Dunbar" that crashed into the cliffs off South head
(pictured), at the entrance to Sydney Harbour on the night of 20 August 1857, killing all but one of its 122 persons on board. Captain James Green sincerely thought that the spot he was aiming his ship for in the dark was the entrance to the harbour. His sincerity and faith in his beliefs were not enough to save him, or his ship, because he had his facts wrong.

More recently, with all the modern navigation information available to him, the Captain of the "Costa Concordia", with hundreds of passenters and crew aboard, sincerely believed the water he was navigating his ship through was deep enough, but faith in his beliefs didn't save his magnificent cruise ship either. One life was lost, hundreds of people had their holiday ruined and the ship had to be sold for scrap. We could find hundreds of examples to show that, unless our faith is based on the firm foundation of something that is true, then that faith is futile. Consequently, if we depend on Atheism, or any man-made religions and rituals, we are lost.

This is where Christianity is unique, it is not a religion; instead it is a personal relationship with the risen Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as a substitute for all the world's sinners, so we don't have to perform certain rituals in order to try and win favour with some God and thus endeavour to earn a place in some after life, because Jesus was able to stand in for us as "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." You see, Jesus was completely man and completely Divine. (born as a human to a mother who was a virgin, so he was completely human and to be "tempted like we are and was yet without sin," but as His mother was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God, He was also the "only begotten Son of God" Indeed He said: "I and the Father are one"; pointing out his unique relationship with God and therefore could proclaim that "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me."

Jesus is also a Historical figure, His remarkable life and his miracles are well documented, His coming was announced in great detail, hundreds of years before He came. He finally accepted crucifixion so He could substitute Himself for us and delete our sins. (That is, if we are prepared to repent and believe on Him.) He was buried in a tomb, but rose again, an now, as a Spirit, is available to help us at any time. Leaders of world religions mostly have burial sites that can still be visited, but they were not resurrected as Jesus was.

Jesus' followers bear witness to the fact that, after they ask Jesus to take over their lives and use their bodies for a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, they become "A new person, old things are passed away, behold all things have become new." I can confirm this from my own personal experience, because my likes and dislikes changed incredible, and "His Spirit beareth witness with my Spirit, that I am a child of God." This, of course, is the experience of the millions of Christians worldwide. Right from the beginning, those who knew Jesus and followed Him were willing to die in preferene to denying Him and that is the case in many countries of the world right now, as many Christians are being  persecuted for their faith, and even put to death. Christianity's two main Commandments as spoken by Jesus are "to love God and love your neighbours as you love yourself" and when you do that you automatically keep the 10 Commandments, because it is impossible to steal from your neighbours if you love them, you cannot take their wife or husband, you cannot bear false winess against your neighbour, and so on because those would not be loving things to do to them. To become a Christian, the only thing that we have to do is Repent and Prayerfully accept God's forgiveness for our sin, in Jesus' name, (and endeavour, in the future, to live our lives, as set out in the New Testament). Nothing else is necessary, it is a  done deal and any person can accept it, whether rich or poor, educated or not. 

That is why we celebrate Christmas (Jesus' birth), and Easter (His crucifixion where He deleted the sin of anyone who is prepared to believe on Him.) How wonderful it is to know that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans - Chapter 8, Verse 1)  Regards, Tom.

Faith can achieve Anything

I have had one of my articles criticised recently because I inferred that the severe drought we are experiencing, is possibly being prolonged by God as a form of discipline because we, as a Nation, have been defying God's law. Well, in Leviticus Chapter 26, God forewarned that He would withhold rain from His people if they were disobedient, and again in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 7 He not only says that, but also says that He will even remove them from their land if they worship other gods. (and He did just that, with the Israelites). "God is the same yesterday, today and forever." Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-22, that He "came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil". God is reliable, Romans Chapter 4 talks about how God promised Abraham that he would be a father to many nations and Abraham believed God, so it happened, even though he was 100 years old and Sarah, his barren wife, was 90. His faith counted to him as righteousness, because he saw God as he is described in verse 17, as the God who raises the dead and sees things that are not, as though they were. 
Consequently, when we pray we need to align our faith with the God we are praying to, and therefore realise that he has the power to even raise the dead, so we need to see, in our mind's eye, the thing we have been praying about as having happened. Because that his the way God Created everything in the beginning, and that is the way He thinks, (e.g.: don't visualise the sickness in that child you are praying; instead (if you are a Believer), lay your hands on him, or her, "In Jesus' name" and say, (as Jesus told you to) "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, be healed." Visualise the child as perfect and don't be shy, after all, you are not using your own authority. You are using HIS AUTHORITY. Remember, He took this for granted when He said "These signs shall follow those who believe, In My Name they shall lay hands on the sock and they shall recover." (no ifs or buts there). Referring to any people in the church who are sick, James 5:14 & 15 says that "the Elders should anoint that person with oil, in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick. (no ifs or buts there either) Jesus wants to be involved in our medical needs as well as our lives generally. It seems very tragic to me that God loves us so much and wants us to involve Him in our lives and yet we as a Nation, ignore Him and worship all sorts of other gods. If you think I am being too critical of us, then count the number of people who are worshiping God on Sunday, (for example), the day that God set aside for rest and fellowship with Him, and compare that with the number of people who are attending sport on that day. The "gods" we worship are not necessarily "golden images" (they could even be footballers), but I fear that in His sight these gods are just as bad because they actually replace Him in our lives. He describes Himself as a "jealous God" and will not play "second fiddle" to any other god, and why should He? The universe is His, and so are we.
are praying for.

There is a lovely promise passed on from God, by the prophet Hananiah when he reprimanded King Asa for not trusting God, in 2 Chronicles 16:9, where he says "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him". I love that, because it is such an example of God's love. Just think of it. The God of the universe is checking us out to help anyone who is His friend, and that is exactly the opposite to Satan's attitude shown in 1 Peter, 5:8 where it says "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walks about, seeking whom he may devour." In these last 7 lines then, are summed up success or failure for us. We must either live the way God wants and be accepted by Him, or ignore Him and be trapped by the Devil. To sum it up: either accept eternal life from God, or eternal death from Satan (there is no third option). Some people think they can overcome the alternatives by committing suicide, for example, but that doesn't work either: sure you can kill your body but you cannot kill your soul, and you are the Soul in that body of yours. Consequently, the action simply means: "Out of the frying pan, into the fire", or "onto the hotplate" as the case may be.

Because the only way of escape is by accepting the saving grace of Jesus, who died to take away the consequences of our sin. This forgiveness is free and releases us to enjoy our life here, and now, and then go straight on into Eternity in Heaven.
Considering that is a free offer, we would be mugs not to examine it more closely if we have not already done so, wouldn't we? Well I did so (although rather reluctantly) 70 years ago, and I now cannot believe how anyone could live without Jesus' support. It is wonderful, crucial and eternal.  Regards, Tom.

Climate Change, Drought and Dust Storms

I was talking to a lady today and she commented on the drought and dust, saying how she wished it would soon end. I think I shocked her when I said that God was in charge of the weather and if I was Him, I wouldn't end it yet. "Why wouldn't you end the drought yet if you were God?" she asked, somewhat shocked. My reply was: Well, if you were the parent of a couple of children and you told them to not leave their toys all over the living room floor, and their clothes on the floor of their bedroom, and they repeatedly ignored you and even did other things as well, that you had told them not to do, would you not be inclined to either give them a smack or Discipline them by withholding at least part of the pocket money they wanted?

I reckon most parents would do either one of those things.

God is our Heavenly Father and gave us, (His children), an Instruction Book to live by, called the Bible and we are defying his instructions. Some generations have followed it to a reasonable extent and others have not and at the moment we are being very disobedient. Ignoring God's instructions altogether, so what should He do? Why not discipline us by withdrawing some of our privileges?

Each time we reach old age, our generation dies out and another younger generation takes over and they have to decide to follow the instructions and reap the benefits of doing so, (promised by God), or alternatively to disregard them and do things their way, independent of the instructions, and make a mess for the following generation to clean up, if they can.

In the past, when people have created too much mess, God has intervened (the Old Testament has plenty of evidence of this). He even encouraged other nations to overthrow the Israelites for some years until they repented and turned back to Him. "He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever" so we had better watch out.

Now, we have all bought equipment to use in our house, farm, shop or factory at some time, and there is always an instruction book with it, written by the designer and manufacturer. Experience has shown me that when I read and followed those instructions, things went well. However, being of a mechanical turn of mind, and very independent, I have sometimes ignored reading the instructions fully, and lived to regret it. Not only did I not get the best out of the machine,  but I also voided the warranty, and had to bear the burden of repair myself. And that is all rather ridiculous. Worse though is the person who ignores the instructions altogether, and virtually " writes his own". Such a person has no right to blame the manufacturer of the equipment when it doesn't work properly for him. Neither should we blame God when we defy His instructions.

Having lived now for 86 years and 9 months, my life has spanned two generations. As a boy I watched draft horses doing the work that tractors and trucks do now. We lived without electricity and all the gadgets that it powers. Even the dentist drilled my teeth with a foot pedaled machine (as illustrated), that drove the drill, and as he had arthritis, the drill rotated very slowly and without the cooling squirt of water we have today. So I am not saying that it was all beneficial living back then. But Morally it was, as people respected the Bible as their instruction book. (Well 99.9% of them did).Consequently, we never locked out houses, cars had no wind up windows, and most had no boot, so we just left the groceries on the back seat and no-one ever stole them. We walked home from the dance hall or picture theatre late at night and were never molested. There were very few police and they never carried a hand gun or wore protective clothing. They didn't need it. There were no surveillance cameras. Women dressed modestly and men respected them. No one lived with a "partner" unless they were married. The things that Israel Folau spoke of recently as sins, were never done because they are forbidden in the Bible. along with so many other things that are ignored today. People went to church and were aware of these things. Children were not taught the ridiculous rot that there is no sign of intelligent life in the universe and that they just evolved from a monkey, but understood that they were Created in the image and likeness of God. This does make a difference; when I looked at my wife I didn't see her as a sort of animal (just a few generations from a monkey), but as one of God's beautiful creations that had inherited eternal life from her Heavenly Father. Droughts are normal, this one is excessive, and is probably the belting we deserve, so we should repent and "pull our socks up" before He allows something worse than a drought to happen to our Nation. Remember, pride comes before a fall. Regards, Tom

Christmas Day

When I was a young man, my brother John and I sometimes had the job of droving sheep from the property where we lived, to some additional country Dad owned. This job took a couple of days so we had the pleasure of sleeping out under the starts. On a clear night that was a wonderful experience. No town lights, no traffic noises, complete quiet, broken only by the noise of crickets and the occasional call of a Mopoke or Night Owl.

The Bible tells us that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night and I can picture them doing just what my brother and I did. Lying on their backs, looking up at the starts. One shepherd would point to an area in the sky and say "doesn't that group of starts look like a bear?" or "look at that frying pan over there" and "I wonder if those are the seven sisters." (or whatever constellations they have in the Northern Hemisphere). When suddenly the whole sky above them was filled with what the Bible describes as "the glory of the Lord" and an Angel appeared.

The Bible says they were very frightened, and that is probably a considerable understatement! However, the Angel said "Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord".

The city of David was, of course, the town of Bethlehem. The Angel then went on to tell them where to find the baby and how he would be dressed. "Then suddenly", the Bible says "there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill toward men." 

Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone, leaving the shepherds wide eyed, with their mouths open. When they regained their composure, they said, "Hey, let's go and check this out" (or words to that effect) because Bethlehem was near to where they were. 

Upon arrival, sure enough, they found things exactly as the Angel had said. There in the stable belonging to the Inn, they found Joseph and Mary with their donkey, and some other animals, and the baby Jesus wrapped in cloth and bedded down in a small feed trough. Now a feed trough is not really the place you would expect to find a King is it? bear in mind though that Mary came on a donkey and there really wasn't room for a bassinet on a donkey. The accommodation problem was caused by the sudden influx of visitors to the town, people like Joseph and Mary, who were complying with an order by the Emperor Caesar Augustus that all people must return to their place of birth and register, as he was taking a census so he could tax everybody.

Hundreds of years earlier a Prophet had foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. God knows the future and arranges things His way. Some people would say, "Surely then, God could have arranged it so there was a bed for this special family". Well, no doubt He could. And He did, you see a stable was the place where He wanted Jesus, the saviour of the world, to be born. 

"Why?" you may well ask. Well, simply because God wanted Jesus to be born in a lowly situation, so none of us could say to Him, "it's alright for you, you had it better than me." This followed through His life on earth, He either walked, or rode on a borrowed donkey, and He died a death that no one would envy. He is the greatest King there ever was, but God arranged for Him to be brought up in a Carpenters cottage, instead of a palace, so he could empathise with ordinary people. However, God also knew that King Herod would want to kill baby Jesus, thinking that He would one day usurp his throne, so God sent three wise men from the east to confirm that Jesus was to be a King and brought Him presents. One of the presents was gold, that would be very useful for Joseph (Jesus' earthly dad, who was not a rich man), so he could then afford to take Mary and Jesus to live in Egypt until Herod died. 

Therefore, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, Jesus understands and can empathise with us, even if we are migrants, or persecuted, and can offer us comfort, reassurance, understanding and best of all, Eternal Life by forgiving any sin we have committed, that is, if we ask Him to, and request that He be the Lord of our life. 

Many years ago a Christian man, called Saint Nicoholas, recognised that Jesus was God's great gift to mankind and started the tradition of giving out gifts to remind us of God's wonderful love. His name has deteriorated over the years from Saint Nicholas to Sannicolas and Santa Claus and this tradition of giving is great and helps make Christmas a lot more joyful, as God wants it to be!

So have a wonderful, happy, love-filled Christmas! Best, Tom

An answer for anxiety

Psalm 55:22 says: "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you, He will never permit the righteous to be moved" 

There is probably no emotion as common as worry and it is the most useless! Because most of our worries are about things that will never happen or about things we cannot change. Jesus said "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Worry is the interest paid on trouble before it falls due. Let us then cast our cares on Him because He said in Psalm 91 "I will be within you in trouble  and deliver you, and honour you, with long life I will satisfy you and show you my Salvation." We are to constantly cast all our cares on the Lord and leave them there. Anxiety is contrary to the lessons of nature: "Said the robin to the sparrow, I would really like to know, why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so.

Said the sparrow to the robin, Friend I think it must be, that they have no heavenly Father, such as cares for you and me." 

Jesus used the carefree attitude of the birds to illustrate the fact that worry is unnatural. "Behold the fowls of the air, they sow not neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them" (Matthew 6:26), And why take you thought for raiment? Consider these lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed as one of these."  "All things work together for good to those that love God."

If He cares for tiny birds and frail flowers, why can't we count on Him for every aspect of our lives? I know that modern living taxes the faith of the greatest Christians, but none of us should doubt the ability of God to give us grace sufficient for our trials even amid the stresses of everyday life. We should not go about wringing our hands, shouting "what shall we do?" creating more tension and worry, but we should trust quietly, believing Him, when His word says that

Our Father God, thank you for your constant care, please give me the carefree faith and the trust that your other creatures show. Help me to know You will always be there to catch me when I fall and lead me through difficult times. Remind me of Calvary and your amazing love for me. In The Saviour's name, Amen. 

In chapter 4, verse 6 of his letter to the Christians at Phillipi, the Apostle Paul wrote: "Don't worry about anything; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Chris Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are Just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think of these things." 

What a great way to live the day, like our pet Wombat here relaxing in our bathtub on a hot day, with the shower just dripping occasionally on her tummy. She didn't worry about anything, she left it all to me. May God bless you for a Great Day as you leave it all to Him. Regards, Tom.

Incidentally, whilst you have this very unusual photo of a female wombat, let me point out how the God who designed her, left nothing to chance. he designed her to dig burrows in the dirt so when He designed that pouch between her back legs for her baby to live in, He place the opening to the rear so when she tosses the dirt back between her legs it does not fill the pouch and smother the baby as would be the case if it were faced forward like that of a kangaroo. This remarkable God also designed you. Trust Him, He knows best and loves you very much. "Cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

Healing for everybody

Jesus said "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto". (John 15:7)

"God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent (change His mind): hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)

When we believe what Jesus and God (one in the same), have said above, we should pray for, and expect complete healing. The God we pray to is the God "Who raises the dead, and calls those things which be not, as though they were." (Romans 4:17)

Therefore God sees our liver or kidneys, lungs or whatever we are concerned about as perfect as the liver in the photo; without spot or blemish.It is up to you and me to align our thoughts with God's statements above, thus we will find that we will "Cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthinans 10:4). We must do this or else our imagination, which will see spots and blemishes, will negate our faith and we will not have a good result. 

And never forget that "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him". (2 Chronicles 16:9). There is therefore a real benefit if the person being prayed for is a believer who loves the Lord. Remember what Jesus said to the lady who touched his garment? "Your faith has made you whole". Jesus could have healed her if she had no faith, but having faith was a real benefit.

So, what more could we want now than to say "Thank you Lord for your wonderful care and healing power". Amen.  

Unseen Danger

When I bought this new car, I phoned the NRMA and had it comprehensively insured before I even drove it out onto the street. Why? Well I cannot see any problems ahead, but I know that a heavy hailstorm can wipe thousand of its resale value, a passing car can throw a stone and break the windscreen, or someone can accidentally bump it. All hypothetical possibilities, but potential dangers nevertheless and that protection relieves me of any stress.

When Julie Bishop was Minister for Defence, she visited Afghanistan to see our troops. She wasn't in a battle zone as such, but wore a bullet proof vest and helmet just in come some sniper took a shot at her.

The police do this too. You will have to admit that this policeman in Europe is prepared for the worst, if it should eventuate. 
Our house was broken into twice when we weren't home, by people we never saw. But, since we installed a security system, we have been safe from such intrusion.
In Australia, the average person is covered against every imaginable disaster and most people think this is ok. There are security systems to protect your computer from viruses, home and contents insurance to reimburse us if we get a fire or theft, insurance against ill health, workers' compensation insurance, in case of accident at work, or travelling to or from work, travel insurance if you are going overseas, health care and Medicare and many others that escape me at the moment.
Why all this? It is just we realise there are forces out there that can accidentally hurt us, and there are also forces out there that deliberately want to hurt us, like the people who get great pleasure by designing viruses to ruin our computers, even though they don't know us. Consequently, we endeavour to protect ourselves from all possible disasters, which is very sensible behaviour, as it relieves us of those concerns.
There is another side to our lives though, the Spiritual side. We are aware of mediums, magicians, seances, spritism, witches, demons and Satan; but most people do not realise the significance of these and how to avoid the dangers.
As a man who has been confronted by spiritism and hypnotists during my life, I know that we are surrounded by spirit beings, and there is a "Spiritual Warfare" going over our souls that we cannot see (and this is backed up by Jesus and the Bible's teachings). We get some protection from the insurance and armour already mentioned, but there is a lot that we are powerless to address under our own strength. What really concerns me is that our young people are walking out there in a world that is a minefield of spiritual wickedness, (dressed up as fun and entertainment), where the unseen forces of wickedness see to it that these innocent kids are introduced to alcohol, drugs, spiritism, immoral behaviour and temptations that look harmless, and they then become hooked on the very easily because they are walking in a "Spiritual war-zone" without any spiritual armour on. They don't realise that it is not cool to "go with the flow". A dead fish can do that! But it takes a live fish to swim against the tide. They need to realise that God designed them to be His Children and be Joint Heirs with Christ, and being in a war-zone they need to be Leaders with "Spiritual armour" on.

Not powerless followers of others, devoid of protection. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says in chapter 6, verse 11 that we must "Put on the whole armour of  God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, bu against Principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against Spiritual wickedness in high places." He then goes on to tell us the type of "spiritual armour" that we require in order to protect ourselves, and he tells us how to apply that. This girl in the picture illustrates it, as by prayer she has put on her "Helmet of salvation" and has the "Sword of the Spirit" (the word of God) in  her hand and will then use the "Shield of Faith" in these promises, to protect her from Satanic attack. If you care to read on from verse 11 of Ephesians chapter 6, you will see how it works, or you can contact me and I will be glad to discuss it with you. Best wishes, Tom

Peace, perfect Peace

There was a king who wanted a painting that depicted peace and tranquility.After he had examined many paintings, he finally settled for one that had a rushing, noisy waterfall in it. His friends asked why he chose this painting when there were others that seemed more peaceful. His reply was that he had noticed that the artist had painted a little bird sitting on her nest in a cleft of the rock just behind the waterfall and she was apparently not disturbed at all by the rushing noisy water pounding the rocks below, but was at peace despite her surroundings, and that was a lesson he wanted to learn.

We all long for peace of mind, and some way that we can relax and forget our anxieties; all our days can be go, go, go, full on from the minute we wake in the morning until we turn in at night; and even if we have a husband, wife or partner who is selfish or unloving and, or, possibly, children that are demanding, or a job that is taxing, we will not necessarily have a peaceful sleep.

When (not if) we find ourselves in such positions (or similar) we have two options offered to us. One option is to examine the proposition put forward by Jesus when He said "Come unto me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Of course, unless we have been brought up in a Christian environment, this is probably the last option that we would consider; a bit like the man who was walking in a fog and accidentally fell over a cliff; as he was falling he grabbed the branch of a tree that was growing out of the cliff face. Looking down he could see nothing but swirling fog, so he looked up and saw the same thing, so he yelled out "Is anyone up there?" and the reply came "yes, my son". So he yelled out "can you help me?" and the reply came "yes, if you will have faith". So he said "what do I have to do to have faith?" and the reply came "let go of the branch". There was silence for a while, and then the man yelled out "Is there anyone else up there?" First options don't always impress us, do they?

The second option is the one adopted by many people, and that is to spend a lot of time going to parties, night clubs, raves, music festivals etc... where the secular music can be degrading, as is the dancing and dressing. At such functions they often drown their sorrows in alcohol or other drugs that seem to give them a sense of elation for a while. This, of course, can then lead them to make choices that they wouldn't normally make but, because they are partly intoxicated, their judgement is blurred and they can easily find that they get involved in immoral behaviour, which they regret in the light of day (assuming the can stand the 'light of day' with the headache from the 'hangover'.) Then there is always the possibility of fights, or car accidents following such parties.

At best, this second option is fairly expensive and a very temporary relief from the real world that is still there the next day, and after some time all this can lose its glamour, and leave us depressed, lonely and feeling degraded.

Coming back to that first option then; Jesus said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." You see, we have an entirely different approach here as God "didn't send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved" and Jesus himself confirmed this when He said "that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish, but inherit eternal life." Why, for goodness sake, would He adopt this attitude?

Well, you see, God never wanted things to be as they are now, it was His plan to be the loving Father to His very large family, so he made us a planet with every imaginable thing that we could want. Just think of the variety of fruits and other foods and spices, with their remarkable flavours. Think of the variety of trees and the beautiful timber, and the flowers on the jacarandas for example (and all the others). "Loving our neighbours as we loves ourselves"; but, we sinned and went our own way. All is not lost. He loves you, as an individual, and wants to reinstate you as his loving child, and even make you a joint heir with Jesus (His son) who died for our sins so you can go free again, if we will only believe in Him and repent.
Think of the variety of flowers and their wonderful colours and perfumes. The glorious scenery and the wonderful animals and rich soils that can grow anything. Stacks of minerals, suitable for everything we could imagine. Think of the way he has been recycling one lot of water for thousands of years. God wanted us all to just enjoy and share these wonders by "Loving our neighbours as we love ourselves" but we sinned and went our own way. All is not lost. He loves you, as an individual, and wants to reinstate you as his loving child and even make you a joint heir with Jesus (His Son) who died for our sins so you can go free again if we will only Believe in Him and Repent. Regards, Tom

She hurt my Feelings

I received a letter from my sister who was attending Teacher’s College in Sydney, and boarding with some people in the suburb of Ashfield. My sister and I had always been good friends, but in this letter she had pushed the boundary of friendship too far. She said she had been attending Ashfield Baptist Church and had become a Christian and I was a sinner and must become a Christian too, or I would go to Hell. I was dumbfounded by this. (and found her “bedside manner” most offensive), because I was brought up in a Christian country, went to church occasionally and lived a reasonably decent life, so I considered that I was already a Christian, certainly not a Sinner.  So why on earth did my sister, write and tell me that I was a sinner, and needed to become a Christian”?  I put this question to my Dad and he replied that “she has probably got mixed up with some Religious Fanatics.” So I threw her letter in the Garbage Bin and shook my head in disbelief.

 

 However, she had also sent me a little booklet, and out of curiosity I read it. A quote from the New Testament struck me, where it said: “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” and “The wages of sin is death” (meaning eternal separation from God), “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our lord.” Well then if that was the case, I figured that I had better look into this more closely as there just might be something in what Anita had said, and in John’s Gospel I found that Jesus Himself had said: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have Everlasting Life.” His implication being that those who don’t “Believe” in Him Do Perish! “So the Good News was that the Son of God, (Jesus Christ), paid for our sin by dying on the cross and rising again, Therefore, He can offer forgiveness to anyone who truly repents and asks to be forgiven. And I can assure you I was delighted to know that, as it was more like the assurance that I wanted to hear.

Just as these sheep had come under the shelter of the tree for protection from the sun’s heat. I had also come under God’s protection from ultimate heat.

 

It was then that I realized why most people, who have accepted this forgiveness, want to go to church and pray and read the bible and so on. It is not in an effort to gain salvation, (as I had previously thought), because if they believe in Jesus they already have that Salvation, but they do these things in order to get to know Jesus, and God, more intimately and find out how they should behave as God’s children now that they are under His protection.

Possibly there are more people around the world who do not understand Christianity than there are who do understand it. This is because some churches perform too much ritual which causes many people to look on Christianity as a religion, when it is really not a religion at all, but is an intimate relationship with a person.  That person being the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In the mind of many people there seems to be the idea that in order to please God, or should I say, to “not fall out” with Him, or to gain His forgiveness, they must religiously perform certain rituals, (Nothing could be further from the truth, and is absolutely untrue). Nevertheless, some religions, require their followers to face in the direction of a particular shrine, and pray a certain number of times per day.  Others have to burn incense or turn prayer wheels, or repeat certain phrases, or make certain sacrifices and ritualistic prayers. The idea being that if they do these things consistently they will somehow earn themselves a good place in the next life. Well, I am sorry to say that they are wasting their time because the Bible points out that “it is by Grace that you are saved through faith, and that not of your selves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2: 8) The Apostle Paul, commenting on this, said that in the light of all Jesus did it was reasonable for us to accept His forgiveness and change our ways. Thus we are given help right away, and a “Complimentary free ticket” to Heaven when the need arises, with no strings attached, Wow! How about that for a great outcome?

However, Jesus knew that Sin had to be “Erased” from our “resume” though, and He, being the sinless Son of God, was the only one who had the qualifications to achieve that, and, praise God, He did it. How dreadfully He must have suffered to achieve that for us though, and how loving of Him it was to make it so easy for us? Unfortunately, some of us are still too proud to accept that forgiveness. I know this, because I even hesitated for a while myself.  

Christians are believers in Christ, the one who paid our entire debt and has done all that could be done for us.

As He knocks at our heart’s door then, it is now up to us to accept Him by opening our heart to Him.

Of course, we can also reject the one who died at terrific cost to purchase our Salvation, if we choose to.

The decision is ours, not God’s. So think it through, because the Almighty God who designed these flowers and looks after them, wants to reinstate you as His child and look after you too, and thankfully He actually said that we are much more valuable to Him than they are. Best wishes, Tom.

Like a Tree,

I took this photo of a tree at my son and daughter-in-law’s property near Gilgandra.

That tree, which is immense, must have found a very reliable source of water in order to keep itself in such good condition and be able to remain “green and growing” and not be troubled at all during the severe drought that is crippling the district at present. Now how did it do that? After all, the paddocks are so dry that the sheep have been hand fed for years. Well Psalm No 1, in the bible has the answer, it says that a “tree planted by a river of water shall bring forth fruit in its season and its leaves shall not wither and it shall prosper”.  The reason for that result is that it sends its roots down through the river bank to where there is water and consequently it is immune to the circumstances surrounding it and droughts and hot winds cannot stop it from prospering. I photographed this particular tree because it is growing beside a sandy bottomed creek and as there is

moisture underneath the sand it has sent its roots down to claim that water. To prove this point I took this next photo as some of the creek bank has been washed away and those roots have become exposed so you can plainly see that it is not dependent on surface moisture that is erratic, but relies on a dependable supply that is below the sand.   

You will notice that the tree on the right of the photo has died and I guess that was because it wasn’t near the creek; and the pine trees on the left don’t look that happy either. So you see, that Psalm writer who wrote those words about three thousand years ago, knew all about droughts and how a tree can cope with them, and this also shows us that droughts are not something new and are to be expected in many parts of the world, as are all sorts of other problems.

The interesting thing is that the Psalmist wasn’t really talking about trees: he was just using them as an illustration to show you and me, and all the other people who have lived, (and those who will come after us), that we can be just as prosperous in the difficult situations we may find ourselves in, as a tree is when it is planted beside a river or a creek, if we know where to look for help.

His actual words say that if we don’t follow the advice of ungodly people and don’t get involved with sin, and don’t be scornful about God, but instead “delight ourselves in the law of the Lord” and constantly think about His directions, we too will be like that tree and “everything we do shall prosper.” Jesus confirmed this when He died and rose again to reinstate us as “Children of God and Joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17), which is what happens to us when we repent (which means change our direction), and believe on the Lord Jesus, asking for his forgiveness for past sin. Then, like a tree that sends its roots down to draw on the life giving moisture in the river or creek, we can also draw on God’s “living water” as Jesus said in John 4:10-15. When we do that, Ephesians 3:17&19 says “That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love…… know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God,” thus His love and guidance is available in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, as we draw on it and stop worrying, because “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ.” (Philippians 4:7). Now that is a long way better than battling on our own like a tree away from the river or creek! And then there is also our assurance of Eternal Life. I ask you, what could be better? If we haven’t already done so, (and pride is keeping us away from all that), then don’t you think that for Heaven’s sake, (as well as a better life right now), and in appreciation of God’s Kindness, we should “pocket our pride”, and join the winning team?          best wishes, Tom. 

The Box or the Diamond.

 

I had been in love with Audrey for some time and at 21 years of age I realised that she was the girl I wanted to marry and share my life with (“until death us do part” as the wedding vows say), So I went to the Pharmacy in Bourke that was an agency for

Angus and Coot, (jewellers in Sydney), and chose a diamond ring, somewhat like the one in the photo. It cost me 2 month’s wages, and they supplied a nice little padded box for free. I gave Audrey the ring and the box at her 21^st birthday party.

I don’t think Audrey valued the box very much although she may have found it handy on occasions, however I am glad to say she was happy to wear, and show the ring to all the family and friends who were present at the party, and I got a lot of pleasure out of that.

Can you imagine how disappointed I would have been if she had ignored the ring and just been in raptures about the box? That would have been ridiculous of course, but did you ever stop to think that the majority of people in the world do the equivalent of that? We have a tendency to pamper our bodies that God placed our Souls in, which are just “boxes” which have a limited lifespan. Whilst we more or less forget to nurture the “real Us”, (our Souls), that God put inside those “boxes” and that have an eternal lifespan. How frustrating that must be for God when He sees that we have our priorities wrong.

You see God designed each one of us as those Diamond rings are designed. He does not “mass produce” people. Everyone he designs has unique bodily features like our own DNA, voice, finger prints, looks, and so on.  But He also made us to be an expression of “His image and likeness,” in our natures, attitudes and personalities which should copy His. The body that was given to us is just a useful vehicle for us to move around in, (similar to the car we use to make our bodies more mobile).  God has set this world up with all sorts of things for us to engage in and enjoy, just as the city council has supplied wonderful play areas for children: Unfortunately, though,

children are just miniature human beings, and although some of them come to the play park anticipating adventure and joy, and share with the other children. Some others come with a “chip on their shoulder,” and selfishly take over the equipment and make it unpleasant for everyone else.

 Of course, they all have to go to their homes eventually, so some children go with joy in their hearts whilst others go home grumpy. It was the same play park that they all had access to, the difference in the outcomes is caused by their attitudes whilst they are there. Similarly, after we have spent our life in this world we too will have to go to our Heavenly Father’s “Home”, and some of us will go happily because we have accepted Jesus forgiveness for sin, and then followed His instruction to love our neighbours and therefore “shared this play Park world” with them. Whilst others will not reach that home in Heaven at all, but will be re-directed to a “Mannus Island” sort of place (only worse), where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew Chapter 13 Verse 50). Why? Well, some people think they can ignore the rules and gain entry to the Heaven that God had prepared for them, without accepting the entry Visa Jesus bought for them, which is only available to those who repent and believe on Jesus, and ask God’s forgiveness for sin. (Heaven cannot be “gate-crashed”).

Fortunately, though if we haven’t yet committed ourselves it is not too late to comply with the above conditions and be free to “go home” to one of those “Mansions” that Jesus said He went to prepare for us when our body dies.

Children come to the Play Park where all the equipment they could possibly want is provided. They don’t bring that equipment with them and they cannot take it home. The whole idea is for them to enjoy themselves and only take home Spiritual things, like happiness, friendship, kindness. I see a parallel here to our life on earth because we come into this beautifully equipped world, bringing nothing with us and although we are to use and enjoy it all whilst we are here, we can take none of these physical things with us when we leave. However, we can, and should, make friends with the God who provided all this, and eventually take the Spiritual things we acquire, such as love, Joy, friendship and kindness back with us to Heaven where He has arranged for us to spend eternity in one of the mansion Jesus went to prepare for us. Housing is expensive here, but God supplies it free for his children there.

God bless you as you think this through, because this is the most important decision we ever have to make.   It is God’s very adequate Spiritual Superannuation Policy. Don’t miss out!         Regards. Tom.

How Perfect is Perfect?

One morning, about 50 years ago, my wife Audrey, and I were just about to get out of bed when we heard the rattle of cups and saucers and a lot of whispering coming from the kitchen. Sensing that our two daughters, Rueleen and Jenelle, were planning

something secretly, to surprise us, we decided to wait and see   what they intended to do. (At that time they were a bit younger than they are in the photos here). Sure enough we had guessed right because a few minutes later they came into our room carefully carrying a tray with two cups of tea, and a SAO biscuit with butter and Vegemite in the saucer beside each cup.  Audrey and I sat up in bed with pillows behind our shoulders and received the tray onto our laps with great delight, whilst they stood at the end of the bed all excited to see how we enjoyed our tea and biscuits.

 

Needless to say we were excited by the fact that they cared enough to do this out of love for us. After we had sipped our tea and tasted our biscuits they asked “How is it?” Of course, with smiles on our faces, we replied that “it was perfect.”

Now what did we mean by “perfect”? Was the tea made exactly the way we liked it? No it wasn’t; it contained too much milk and sugar. How about the biscuit, was it perfect? No not really, it would have been better on a separate plate as some tea had made one edge of each biscuit soggy. But all that paled into insignificance as we realised the love that prompted their effort and the delight they had in doing something for us, and we certainly never criticised their effort because it was absolutely perfect in our eyes.

When these girls grew up they had families of their own and when we went to visit them they would serve us morning or afternoon tea and now the tea was exactly right, and so were the biscuits or whatever they served with the tea, and it was “perfect” because they had, over the years, observed how much milk and sugar we liked, and experience taught them to be careful to not let the biscuits, (or whatever they served) get wet, and that was lovely. However, if they hadn’t improved we would have been disheartened. Nevertheless, there is nothing they could do now that would be more perfect in our sight than what they did that first time, and it lives forever in my memory and I’m sure in Audrey’s memory too, even though she is now in Heaven.

The above is a parable of the Christian life. When we first become Christians by accepting God’s forgiveness of our sin, (through what Jesus accomplished for us in giving His life as a “Ransome” for ours), we are then only “Babes in Christ” for starters, and endeavour to live a life pleasing to Him, but we will frequently make mistakes without meaning to. This is normal, and just as Audrey and I overlooked the mistakes our daughters made that morning and considered that what they had done was “perfect”, so it is that the Angels in Heaven and God Himself are delighted with our first efforts and see them as “perfect”. 

Of course, here again, if we are sincere we will study the Bible, (particularly the New Testament) and endeavour to correct any imperfections in our behaviour in order to show our love to God for all He has done for us, and also practice trying to “love our neighbour as we love ourselves,” as Jesus told us to.

If we make mistakes they are overlooked if we immediately ask for that forgiveness, because mistakes come from the entrenched bad habits we have acquired over the years and it can sometimes take a while to eliminate them from our behaviour patterns. As Paul (one of the greatest Christians ever,) said “not that I have already attained perfection, but I press on”.

but to deliberately sin and defy God’s directions is something different and would show that we didn’t get the message properly, so is not acceptable behaviour.

Of course, Christians don’t gain forgiveness and Salvation through good behaviour. Jesus earned that privilege for us by His sacrificial death and resurrection, but we are required (indeed it is our privilege), to endeavour to live lives that glorify God who has made it possible for us to inherit eternal life with Him, irrespective of how badly we may have sinned in the past.

Best wishes with that, Tom.

Easter. What is it all about?

What is Easter all about? Just this: New Birth. That is what it is all about; Chickens and eggs? Most certainly. Rabbits? Certainly not, they have nothing to do with it. You see, Easter eggs, (or ordinary eggs) have represented “NEW BIRTH” for centuries because

chickens illustrate “new birth” very well.  Recently, however, Cadburys and other chocolate manufacturers, decided to promote “bunnies” (even though they have no religious significance)

Next question: Why New Birth? Well you see, Jesus Christ, who was sent by God and who was ‘one with God’, (because God was in Christ Reconciling the people of the world unto Himself), pointed out to a very religious Jew, (who came to see him one night), that in order to please God, every one of us “must be born again”. In short, (just as these chickens are beginning a life un-tainted by the world, with not even a spot of dust on them), each one of us must make a new start, cleansed from all our past sinfulness, and replace our attitudes of selfishness, greed, unkindness, resentment, lustfulness and so on, with attitudes of Love, joy, peacefulness, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness and self-control. These latter virtues being the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit who wants to be our Helper and guide when we decide that we want to be “Born Again” by accepting God’s forgiveness for past mistakes and changing our direction.

Next Question: Why all this talk about New Birth? Couldn’t we just make a “New Year’s Resolution” to change our ways, be better people in future, and thus qualify to enter eternal Life in Heaven when we die? Well yes, that sounds simple enough and would be good if it was possible, indeed Jesus himself (just before He was Crucified) hoped that God might be able to find another way when He prayed “Father if it be possible, let this “cup” pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” But there was no other way because “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God and the wages of sin is death”. You see, whenever someone breaks a law, a price has to be paid, and in this case we could not pay it ourselves. Lovingly Jesus Christ “took the rap” on our behalf so we could go free for eternity. Do you think He deserves our thanks for that? 

Next Question: What is so special about Easter in this regard? I mean, couldn’t we be Born Again at some other time of the year, for example Christmas? Absolutely! Being Born Again is not confined to Easter, any time during the year is as good as any other. The special thing about Easter is that it commemorates    the day that Jesus Christ sacrificed his life on the cross at Calvary in order to make it possible for our sins to be deleted. Remember God was in Christ, if that hadn’t been the case Christ’s death would have availed nothing for you or me. When this very special man died, (being the Son of God), he had “been tempted on all points like as we are, and was yet without sin” so was unique in that He, and He alone, was capable of cleansing us from all unrighteousness. So we get a clean “New Start” in life if we repent, ask forgiveness in prayer, and sincerely endeavour to follow His directions of how to live as Children of God in future (as laid down in the Scriptures). May each one of us be truly thankful as we fully grasp what Jesus Christ did on our behalf. “Oh that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me for it was on that old cross Jesus suffered and died to pardon and sanctify me.” As John chapter 3 and verse 16 says; “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

                                          Praise God! and Thank you Jesus.

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