Katy

As a Christian we must work in tandem with God. Our lives should be full of hard work, good deeds , trust, prayer and rest. We must seek God in prayer each day for every circumstance of our lives, but then we must trust Him for the outcome. If we don’t trust God we will be depending on our own efforts, this will leave us working harder and harder with little rest time, and little time for God.We will makes mistakes as we will not have God leading and guiding us . If we trust God to provide all our needs and make no effort ourselves to work or pray, we will soon be unable to put food on our table and keep a roof over our heads.Proverbs19v15 Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry. For the Jewish people it is very important to have children to carry the family name on, so children are a heritage and a blessing. They bring much joy at all stages of life. As the parents grow older the children should be a help to their parents. Children are a reward from God because having children is not something we can do unless God permits conception and birth to take place. We are totally dependant on God to reward us with the blessing of having a child born to us.

As a Christian we must work in tandem with God. Our lives should be full of hard work, good deeds , trust, prayer and rest. We must seek God in prayer each day for every circumstance of our lives, but then we must trust Him for the outcome. If we don’t trust God we will be depending on our own efforts, this will leave us working harder and harder with little rest time, and little time for God.We will makes mistakes as we will not have God leading and guiding us . If we trust God to provide all our needs and make no effort ourselves to work or pray, we will soon be unable to put food on our table and keep a roof over our heads.Proverbs19v15 Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry.

When I look back on my life I can remember a number of times where I took risks and did foolish things. I was fortunate in that I got away without any consequences, and I now know that it was because the Lord was protecting me. At the time I didn’t really have much interest in God. I didn’t realize just how important He was. I was forty before I became a Christian although I was brought up in a religious home. These situations were all my own doing, being with bad company, being irresponsible at work, just once! I do not know why I have been chosen by God to be loved by Him! I know I don’t deserve His love.But because of His great love I have been saved by grace, through faith, not from myself, It is a gift of God, not by works so no one can boast. Ephesians 2v8. There is one person that I can pray for who has not hurt me directly but has hurt my daughter and grandchildren and continues to do so. It hurts me as I can’t do anything about it but I do feel very anti him . I have to continually confess my sin and frustration to the Lord.

The Psalmist shows us his great faith in God in this Psalm. In the first two verses he speaks about looking to God, and acknowledges who God is! Then he speaks about a servant looking to his master for his needs. He then pleads for mercy and relief from his oppressors. It is a great example for us to do likewise when we are in trouble. To first of all contemplate just who we are coming to and then in faith ask for help and mercy. This Psalm also teaches us that we are dependent on God and should be humble and realise that we are so sinful and how dare we show contempt to other human beings who just like us have been made in God’s image. Isaiah 1 v17 Learn to do good; seek justice correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widows cause. Deuteronomy 27v19 Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow. In our country which is Ireland we have travelling people who live in caravans and travel around the country and park at the side of the road. Some of the travelling folk have become “settled” in recent years, have settled down in houses but many still travel. Unfortunately the settled people object to having travelling people live near them. The two communities rarely mix. There is suspicion and hostility on both sides. However great strides are being made to bring greater understanding and patience between the two communities. But I fear there are still many barriers to overcome yet. I have had some interaction with some of the traveller ladies and I try to be kind and friendly to them. I am conscious that they are loved by God and we are all equal in His sight. I find it can be difficult because they are suspicious and can be hostile because of how they have been treated in the past.

Unfortunately today people don’t realise the importance of putting God first in their lives. People do not see their need for God and much less their need to be part of a church. Many don’t know the bible and it’s teachings and therefore don’t understand the concept of being a part of a body , where we suffer when any part of the body is suffering and we rejoice when any part of the body is rejoicing. As Christians we must show God’s love to everybody in every situation. We never know just what influence we may have. In our conversation we should be so overflowing with the love of Jesus that we speak naturally about Him and His church. Our lives need to be focused at all times on God and prayer so people will be drawn to us and our church.

Each day I ask God to protect me and my family from physical danger but also from sin. I know that there have been many times that I have been protected, and I attribute that to my Lord and Saviour! When I think of God as my Keeper I think of God as keeping me from straying away from the narrow road. From backsliding ! I may sometimes have a day where I realize I have not spent enough time in contact with God , and I rectify my attitude and actions the following day. I am able to do this because My Keeper gives me His Grace.