This coming Sunday, the 10th of October, we will be holding Harvest Thanksgiving Services in both churches at the usual times, where we will give thanks to God for His provision and also offer a token of what we have been given to be the Foodbank. These donations can either be packet or tinned food, cereals, instant foods, tea & coffee or things like soap and toothpaste. Or if you prefer, a monetary donation can be put in an envelope, marked Harvest Donation, and put in the offering plate.
‘…The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in all His deeds…'(Psalm 145:13)
In a world where so many things happen that might cause us to doubt and ask questions of why things are the way they are, let us never forget these words of the Psalmist – in them we can find strength, comfort and peace, not matter what life throws at us.
‘…my eyes are turned towards you, O God, my Lord; in You I seek refuge…'(Psalm 141:8)
Is the Lord our first port of call in time of need or crisis? Do we seek refuge in Him at all times? Or do we only come to Him when all else has failed? Let’s reflect on these words from the Psalmist and come to the Lord asking that He would give us the faith to do as the Psalmist says.
‘O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name…’ (Psalm 105:1)
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, take time now to come to the Lord and give Him thanks for all His blessings and praise His name. Amen.
‘The Lord says, I will guide you…’ (Psalm 32:8)
Do we allow the Lord to guide us in our life each day, to help us through all the barriers and obstacles that we encounter? If not, maybe now is the time to do so. Look to Him and by His Spirit He will help you through all you face each day.
‘…wait for the Lord and He will help you…’ (Proverbs 20:22)
How often we rush into things without first coming to the Lord and then wonder why these things don’t always go to plan. This proverb tells us to the Lord and put our trust in Him and He will help us. So come to Him now, with all your concerns and fears, and He will be there with you.
‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower…’ (Proverbs 18:10)
How often do we call on the name of the Lord as we live our busy lives each day? In this proverb we are reminded of what we have in His name. So call on Him now and bring to Him all that is in your heart and know His strength in your life today.
‘A friend loves at all times…’ (Proverbs 17:17)
What is friendship and what are our hopes – our expectations – of those we think of as our friends? How do we behave towards those whom we consider to be our friends? In the same way that we expect them to behave towards us?
According to the proverb a true friend loves at all times – at all times! How then does this affect our understanding and our belief as to what friendship is all about? The reality is that there are times when we all fail to love others at all times. Because we are only humans there are times when we react to others in ways that we should not, if only for a short while. It’s then we need to remember verses like this – but also the opening words from that much loved hymn, What a friend we have in Jesus…
We will never be perfect, but if we can remember this we can all be more like the kind of friends that our Lord would have us be – following His example as best we can and sharing His love with all.