Plans for you

In the book of Jeremiah, chapter twenty nine and verse eleven we read, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". I like the use of the plural 'plans' in the New International Version of the bible. God's plans are comprehensive. We might say that he has plans A and B and if we mess up and frustrate his ideal will for us he is never at a loss to know the path we should then take. We should trust him. He knows what he is doing and what we should be doing as well. No worries!

The Salvation Army

Some viewers will know that much of my life and ministry has been wrapped up in The Salvation Army in which movement I have been a leader for over sixty years. As I review the past I have no major regrets. Life has been fulfilling and my confidence in the SA is as strong as ever. I believe that our uniform has helped to make our message visible and our music has made it audible but only our holiness or integrity can make it credible. What matters most is not what we do but what we are. Character will talk over our heads. In this respect many of us know that we are far from perfect but at least we are trying to 'be the best that we can be'and we will keep on keeping on. Fair enough?

Living by faith

We may be pessimists by nature but we can be optimists by grace. Wearing the dark glasses of unbelief the future may seem gloomy but by faith we can see light on the horizon. I haven't sung it for years but a snatch of an old chorus has been going through my mind. It went like this: "Lord, lift me up and help me stand, By faith, on heaven's table land". With all the gloom and doom in the world we can look up and believe that beyond the clouds the sun is shining. God has not done with his world or with us as individuals. Hope is the music of the future and there is no reason why we can't dance to it today.

Get a life!

It might be said that a person's bare individuality is like the bit of grit which gets into an oyster shell. The pearl of our lives is made by the relationships we gather around us. Some people find relationships difficult and resist them even as they long for them. But it is only by being open to others that we can help them to overc0me their inhibitions and be open to us. That is the way to get a life. I would add that we should be open to God also. He is not remote or removed from us but only a prayer away. He has revealed what he is like though Jesus. Incredible as it may sound. he really loves us.

Living and dying

It must be tough to come to die only to realise that you have never really lived! For some people life is nothing more than a monotonous succession of days leading to nothing in particular. As an old man I am glad to look back and realise that my life has had meaning because at a young age I dedicated all I had to God for service to others. That means a lot to me.

Beyond the blues

I have read that a grain of indigo can colour a ton of water - which indicates how infectious the blues can be! Little things can colour our day and blur our vision. So what can help us? One answer to depression is prayer. In Psalm four we read, "There be many that say who will shew us any good?Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us" (KJV). When the outlook was bad the writer tried the uplook! We could do the same.

In God's waiting room

It is said that all men think all men mortal but themselves and it is true that many people - men and women alike - give little thought to their own demise and what may follow. At one time preachers often spoke about the furniture of heaven and the termperature of hell. Now user friendly sermons give such subjects a wide berth. Of course, there is no need to be morbid, but we are all in God's waiting room and one day we will be called to give account. Personally, I am calmly confident, not because I think that I am good but because I know that God is, and that the Judge of all the earth will do right.