What distinguishes a Christian from those who are in the world?
1 John 4 verse 8 says, “God is love.”
So if you don’t have any love in your heart, you don’t have God in your heart.
Another word for faith is “trust”.
It is a life that you live.
It is an act. It is not just a word. It is a lifestyle.
“My God shall supply all of my needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
You know, I think it is a very hurtful thing when we doubt The Lord’s provision.
Are you feeling a little lonely?
Maybe you are feeling a bit deserted.
Maybe you are in that lockdown situation where you are forced to self-isolate, like Jill and I, because you have contracted the Coronavirus.
Well, I want to tell you about a friend today who will take away all your loneliness.
A miry pit is a terrible place to be.
I have worked on many dairy farms as a young man, in Scotland, in Australia, in Zambia and a miry pit is a place where all the slurry from the dairy goes into and then eventually gets pumped out and spread on the fields as fertilizer.
And that is what I think of in my mind - a miry pit - sinking into a miry pit!
When you rest, you get refreshed. You get new ideas and you get new opportunities. Even as you leave your land fallow…
Remember, the only thing that you and I will take from this earth when we go to Heaven is our loved ones, our fellow-man, people’s souls, that’s all - nothing else.
All else will stay behind.
This is an opportunity, lockdown time, to sit down with our loved ones and remember where The Lord has brought us from…
Let us be different from the world.
Let us keep our eyes, like the fish eagle, focused on things above and not things below.
People are watching you at this lockdown time.
Let your words be few, let them be sweet.
Encourage one another because…
We need to spend our lives on others so that we can attain eternal life that no-one can take away from us.
The Lord Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 40, “As much as you have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me.”
So today if you are feeling a bit down, think of somebody else, write a letter, make a phone call, send a little WhatsApp and I can tell you what - you will feel a lot better after that.
Oh my dear friend, we need to build on the Word today.
We really need to memorize God’s Holy Word.
I am going to give you a scripture verse to start with today and this one is Mark, the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 11 and verse 22:
It simply says:
“Have faith in God.”
Come on now, you can memorize that!
We talk about the coronavirus but I want to tell you about someone much more powerful and much more important!
His name is The Holy Spirit…
Do you feel like you have been sifted?
Are you feeling like you have been put through a combine harvester?
The devil does not have the power to sift you.
Do not allow him one inch in your life.
Today, give your whole life and your concentration on the things of God.
This is not a physical battle that we are involved in.
This is a spiritual battle. and the only way we can fight this battle is by…
Do not be fearful, do not be lonely, do not be afraid.
He promised us He will never leave us and He will never forsake us…
We need to love our parents.
This is a commandment from God and even if they are awkward, and even if they don’t want to speak to you, you still need to love them. Why?
Because Jesus said so! That is why!
So love one another.
Love your mom, love your dad, honour them and The Lord will honour you.
There is one key that we need to operate in the home at the moment as we are in a close confined area with one another. Learn to say sorry - that is right - and diffuse any potential argument.
Remember the children are watching you.
They won’t do what you tell them.
They will do what you do.
How are we using this lockdown time?
Are we wasting it or are we using it profitably?
You know it took Jesus thirty years in obscurity, to prepare for three year's ministry.