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“But Jesus said, “No, go home to your (church) family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.””
Mark 5:19 NLT https://padlet.com/padstruthers/how-was-2025-for-you-95vswdjfvu2gam3w It’s time for you to share. I share every week and I’d love to hear back from some of you. Click the link above to share. Wherever you are, come tell us what the Lord has done for you. You can make it anonymous or you can leave your name and city, town or country. Let’s share what the Lord has done for us. “Give as freely as you have received!” Matthew 10:8 NLT
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On a Friday morning Graham and I are up very early, as we have a bit of a journey to make so that we can have the pleasure of looking after two of our lovely grandchildren from 7 am.
Despite the early rise, I always like to get up just that little bit earlier to have a quick coffee and to read my Bible. I am always rewarded. These were the words I drank in on Friday morning: ‘You honor me by anointing my head with oil.’ Psalm 23:5 NLT The Spirit of the Lord drew very near, and the reward was this: A wonderful, rich, warm, anointing oil was poured on my head. The hand that anointed me was the hand of the Lord, my Shepherd. It poured in richly, bringing His presence close (v4). It caused me to relax deeply inside until I felt as if I had really unwound, feeling absolutely chilled (v2). As I relaxed, I felt my strength renewed, and the way ahead became clear (v3). And suddenly, renewed, refreshed, strengthened, my cup overflowed with blessing because His goodness and unfailing love have pursued me at every stage of life. What more can I say? ‘The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.’ Psalm 23:1 NLT These moments are divine and much appreciated. Some seldom find such special moments. They seek here and there but never have that divine encounter. All of life is worth living for these moments. How do we find them? By surrendering all, including our opinions and desires, and allowing ourselves to rest with our Bibles until the Lord draws near. His anointing is perfect. How grateful we are to God for His goodness to us. He has gathered the remnant of His people. How good it is to be together with all of God’s people, to worship and to praise. He brought us together like sheep in His pasture to feed richly on the green pastures of His goodness.
It was good to see our church so busy this week with the Men’s Night and the Ladies’ Breakfast. Our land was certainly filled with noisy crowds! But even without these special events, our church is filled with noisy crowds. You only need to listen online on a Sunday morning to hear the noisy crowds. We are glad to be in His house and to be together with His people. They are family to us. Why? “Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile, out through the gates of the enemy cities, back to your own land. Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you.” Micah 2:12-13 NLT Our leader, Christ Jesus, has broken out of the grave in the power of His resurrection. He has led us out of exile, out of death, out of sin, through the gates of the enemy cities, until we were delivered. We are no longer barred from our own land, our rightful inheritance with all the abundance of power and anointing of the righteousness and goodness of God. Our pastures are rich with spiritual nourishment. We are home in our own land, in our own church, with our own Saviour. The King will lead us. Who else could we want? The Lord Himself will guide us. We can be confident going forward. Our leader goes before us, and our guide walks close beside us. The path ahead is cleared before us, and the comfort of God will be around us. He will bring us, like a flock to its pasture, into a place of safety and strengthening. Our noisy crowds will continue, they will deepen in their faith and walk with God until they are like fat and contented sheep with hearts gladdened by His continual presence. ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.’ Psalm 23:1-3 NLT Just before our New Year’s Conference, I felt a wave of uncertainty come over me, wondering whether the conference would be well-attended or not. Perhaps it had come as a result of changing the venue at the last minute, I don’t know, but I suddenly felt afraid folks wouldn’t come.
On that particular day, during my daily reading, I came across Psalm 22. As we know this Psalm centres around the thoughts of Christ on the Cross. How perfect was this verse for me at such a time. The Spirit caused it to live and it brought tremendous comfort to me. We will never be disgraced if we trust in the Lord. As our spiritual ancestors called out to the Lord so will we. He will hear our prayers. He answered their prayers gloriously. A work flourished and bloomed under their hands. Miracles were wrought: people were saved, baptised in the Holy Spirit, bodies healed, demons were cast out, and the church was filled. He answered my prayers too for the conference. Despite the flu epidemic that was going around, the church was very busy. The sound of praise filled the church and: “The glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord.” 1 Kings 8:11 NLT Our spirits were thrilled with His presence, and our Lord was glorified. As we sang ‘Ye Gates’ in closing, there was such a strong, throbbing power of the presence of God. It took me back to the days of Miss Taylor and Mr Black when the atmosphere used to fill with God’s glory. My eyes were closed, but I could see Christ standing in the Gates. He was tall, strong and immovable by any flurry of opposition against His work. “His legs are pillars of marble Set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars.” Song of Solomon 5:15 NKJV Our Lord is excellent! We will trust in You, Lord, and never be disgraced. We could ask for a year of blessings, health or happiness but the best is the presence of God. For the truth is none of us know what the year ahead holds for us, but we do know that He can accompany us all the way along life’s journey.
During our Hogmanay watchnight service, just at the midnight hour, I had the oddest sensation of walking through a door. I could see the doorframe and feel the pull to go through it. I stepped within its boundaries but could see nothing but darkness ahead. It wasn’t a frightening darkness, but the way ahead was unknown to me. I stepped through that door into the new year with Christ and heard myself say aloud, we have passed over into the new year. There was a strong feeling of leaving 2025 behind, with all its joys and sorrows, and stepping into a new, unknown adventure. The only insight I have is the new year promise: - Matthew 8:26 NIV ‘and it was completely calm’ - John 1:51 NIV ‘you will see heaven open.’ What beautiful words to invite us into a new year. ‘We rest on thee, our Shield and our Defender! We go not forth alone against the foe; strong in thy strength, safe in thy keeping tender, we rest on thee, and in thy name we go; strong in thy strength, safe in thy keeping tender, we rest on thee, and in thy name we go.’ By Edith Gilling Cherry 1985 And so we willingly go into a new year, knowing that He will be with us throughout each day, with the promise of complete calm within, and the delights of an open heaven to accompany us on our journey. It seems fitting that at the end of the year, we should give thanks to the Lord with our whole hearts and recount all of His wonderful deeds among us. I’m grateful on such occasions that I keep a journal so that I can give an accurate account of what has happened throughout the course of 2025. I’m also aware that not every year has been so outwardly blessed as this year. On occasions, we “toiled all night and took nothing!” (Luke 5:5 ESV) But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t rejoice when we see the harvest.
One of my earliest memories of this year was turning the inside of the church around in mid-January because we were so busy. By using the platform for seating and facing the seating the opposite way, we created an extra 30 seats. To my joy and dismay, an additional twenty folks walked in that first morning! Dismay because I thought I had a good plan up my sleeve to create more space and joy as the work was growing. These new folks have remained with us. We have had a busy year with two weddings, a funeral, two naming ceremonies, four dedications and nine baptisms in water. I have lost count of the number of salvations and baptisms in the Holy Spirit. We have several new African families among us, and more local people coming than we’ve had for years. Our communion numbers have increased by forty from last year. Our Sunday Schools and Bible Classes are brimming over with young people, and our workers rejoice when they’re not on a rota and manage to get into the services! I’m grateful to all who have pulled their weight, whether it be in the sound system, working the overhead projectors, children’s rotas, coffee shop, door duty, security, ushering, planning, maintenance, treasury work, websites, keyholders, safeguarding, data protection or cleaning. It has been a team effort. We have started ten house groups this year, and I’m very pleased to say that when I met with the leaders of the house groups at the end of the year, all of them were encouraged and wanted to continue into 2026. It’s been a year of the blessing of God, and we’ve felt very humbled to witness the work of God so abundantly among us. It wouldn’t be right to play it down, but rather we rejoice and exult in Him. “I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:2 ESV And my hopes for 2026. Well, when you read on in Luke’s gospel, you read: “They enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” Luke 5:6-7 ESV May the Lord’s work continue to grow until all our boats are filled. Have you considered this amazing fact? There was a time when you didn’t know what the glory of God was. You had never seen His glory. You had never heard His voice. You didn’t even know that God existed.
Now you sense His glory at church. You lift holy hands to Him, and you close your eyes as you sing so you can worship. Now, you read your Bible and listen to sermons so that you can hear His voice speaking into your heart, guiding you and directing your path. Now the very existence of God affects your life every day. You think about Him, speak with Him, and you listen to Him. What you have found becomes infectious, and you want to share it with others. You get excited when you have an opportunity to speak to someone about Christ or invite them to church. You love it when someone responds positively to the gospel and wants to come for help. That’s because we have seen His glory in our spirits. Sometimes you see the glory of God in the middle of a song. Last night Graham was preaching about Elisha and how he was helped by music. ‘While the harp was being played, the power of the LORD came upon Elisha.’ 2 Kings 3:15 NLT This morning, as we sang the Christmas version of ‘Holy Forever’, I beheld His glory. I saw Christ upon the throne. He was the highest and the greatest; there was no one who could compare with Him. The music helped me to worship in the Spirit. We read that Elisha entered a vision as the harp was being played. He saw the dry valley filled with pools of water. As we worship, our dry souls are filled with spiritual water. Stop and think of the wonder of these words: ‘We beheld His glory.’ That’s what Christmas means to us: He has come into our darkness and revealed Himself to us. “The morning light from heaven is about to break upon us”. Luke 1:78 NLT No! The morning Light has broken on us, and we have seen His glory. Have you ever made a decision that ticked all the boxes of your main motives or concerns, only to find that afterwards you experience doubt, that troubling feeling that something is not quite right with your plans?
Throughout the Bible, there are accounts of God's instructions to men and women: what to do and what not to do, in some cases! He has communicated in many ways: an audible voice, dreams and visions, messengers, and through His command of the elements. This list is not exhaustive. In today's world, because of His love and mercy towards us and His desire for a relationship with us, He still reveals His will in ways that arrest our attention, recognised as the revelation of His specific will for a particular situation. In our daily lives, as we go about our business, whatever that may be, we face many moments of decision and, in faith, proceed confidently, trusting that our inner peace remains undisturbed and that we are taking the right course of action. Of course, we will encounter situations requiring medium or major decisions that demand more reflection, and once we begin to act, we sometimes notice that inward 'niggle' that signals something is not quite right — we may even have sensed a red flag. We might hope for a sign, a messenger, or a single Bible verse that speaks directly to the matter at hand, the writing on the wall, so to speak. If nothing appears to help, we should submit our dilemma to the standard in God's word. We can ask the Holy Spirit to examine our motives and then evaluate our decision in light of the characteristics of 'wisdom from heaven.' We might ask: does our proposed course of action tick all of heaven's boxes? Is it pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, impartial, and sincere? The Bible is also full of stories of people turning back to God after making wrong decisions or choosing flawed paths; it shares His attitude towards these. His great love, unfathomable patience, and eternal willingness to forgive and restore are clear. To acquire this heavenly wisdom, the book of Proverbs teaches that it begins with the fear of the Lord. In this context, 'fear' signifies reverent respect. While God is busy restoring His ancient people, Israel, to their inheritance, He is also restoring His Church, the bride, globally, locally, and individually, to the standards in His word and right attitudes towards Himself. Let us look forward with reverent anticipation to what He will say to us as we move into 2026, praying with all prayer and supplication for those entrusted with delivering His words. Amen. I recently read this story and noticed something new. Simon (Peter) had not been negligent in his efforts when he went fishing. He put in every effort, including staying out all night, to bring home a catch. He was skilled, as fishing was his livelihood. He brought admirable qualities to his trade - knowledge, skill, perseverance, and strength - yet, he caught nothing.
Sometimes, it feels like we toil constantly—attending church, helping others, caring for family—the list goes on! But by the end of the day, we often feel exhausted with little to show for it. Things changed when Jesus entered the boat. Simon not only sat near Christ but listened to His teaching. All the work stopped. He just sat and absorbed Christ's words. Then came the moment when Jesus said, ‘Now go out where it is deeper…’. Simon is hesitant: ‘“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5 NLT In essence, Simon is saying, ‘Lord, I’ve already tried. I gave my all; it didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.’ But he obeys nonetheless. And then, it happens: ‘And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!’ Luke 5:6 NLT Simon set aside all his knowledge, skill, and willingness to work all night and obeyed Jesus’ words. Simple obedience is all that was needed, and his nets were bursting. We often make things harder for ourselves. We try repeatedly, with the best intentions, which usually comes from a desire to do what’s right. Yet, there is a better way! Let’s take time this week to listen for that gentle voice that whispers within us, ‘Now go out where it is deeper…’. Here, our souls are renewed, and our nets are filled with God's life. We don’t need to rely solely on our strength, as that only results in empty nets. Instead, when we heed his whisper and step out into the deep with Him, we find all we need. Here, we are nourished and empowered to nourish and strengthen others. How lovely that the Son of Man, and the Son of God, came from the glory to dwell among us. He left the light and freedom of heaven to live among us and become one of us. He walked the dusty roads, He breathed the same air, He ate the same food, He washed with the same water and felt the same heat of the sun.
There were times when He longed to be alone and quiet. ‘Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.’ Luke 5:16 NLT His parents didn’t understand His great commission. ‘“Why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant.’ Luke 2:49,50 NLT He had friends who loved Him. ‘Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you.”’ Matthew 19:27 NLT And foes who hated Him. ‘At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him.’ Luke 6:11 NLT There were times when He was tired. ‘Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well.’ John 4:6 NLT There were times that He was absolutely exhausted. ‘But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.’ Mark 4:37,38 NLT There were times when He was frustrated. ‘Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?”’ Mark 9:19 NLT And there were times when He sought human company. “Stay here and keep watch with me.” Mark 14:34 NLT And there were times when he was in anguish. ‘He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.’ Mark 14:33 NLT The Son of God gave up His omniscience and took on our human nature with all its limitations, failings and weaknesses. He became flesh. He dwelt among us. He lived and worked among human beings. There were times when He wearied of us, times of frustration, and times of deep sorrow, but whilst we were still sinners, He loved us. ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’; so that one day we might become spiritual and dwell with the Trinity. |