1. Intimacy. I love the honesty and boldness that Abraham has when he approaches God. I want this kind of relationship with God. How does Abraham get this kind of intimacy? Well if you jump back to Genesis 18:1-8, the answers are there, Abraham gave his best for God.
2. Integrity. Abraham doesn’t question God’s right to judge Sodom, he doesn’t ask him to change his mind. Abraham knows God, he knows that He will always do what is right. Abraham’s whole prayer is based on the question in verse 25, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” In this passage Abraham is standing with God, submitting to His will. God is for the righteous more than He is against the wicked – for the sake of 10 righteous people he would spare Sodom. Abraham is learning about God’s perfect balance of justice and mercy.
3. Intercession. Charles Spurgeon said, “If sinners will not hear you speak, they cannot prevent your praying.” This is so true. We all have people who we would like to see experience God, so we need to pray for them. Prayer is a mighty weapon! What is your Sodom? Is it your school? Your neighborhood? Your office? Your workplace? Your family? Pray and then pray some more for these people.

Do you crave intimacy with God? Do you walk with integrity, confident in God’s perfect will? Do you intercede for others? I encourage you to read this chapter and be challenged and spurred into action like I have been.

May God be with you all, Brad

Perhaps a better thing to ponder is what God thinks of His children.  Titus, a young man ministering in Crete, is asked to remind the people of their responsibility to each other in chapter 2; then in chapter 3 to the civic world that surrounds them.

I get so encouraged when we get these images of what we once were away from God and how we should act now through faith in Christ.

In verses 3-8 GOD THINKS YOU ARE PRECIOUS, PERFERCT, PRIVILEGED AND PROFITABLE.

If you look closely in these verses you see an amazing list of ungodly behaviour that epitomized our former conduct; yet God loved us so much that He poured out tremendous blessing and mercy on us.  Not writing us off but hanging in there for and with us.  He justified us having no account to answer, a legal term that has forgiven us entirely (but not the earthly consequences) making us acceptable for heaven.   That makes us a privileged people; the Lord walks with us, endures with us, provides for us and listens to our prayers.

You are useful to carry out His plans on earth for His glory.  Don’t think for one minute you are unacceptable and left to wander aimlessly through time.  With such assurance and blessings how can do anything else but fall to our knees and praise our God, and rise to get on with His plans for us.

So is there no joy to be found anywhere? Well, it depends where you look, or more to the point, who you look to. We can be burdened by so much in this modern age that we bounce from one thing to another, never really stopping long enough to take stock of where we have come from, let alone where we were heading.

If our life was a line, what would it look like? Perhaps the straightness of a line on a pad resembles your life, or is it more like the bounce of a cardiac monitor? Yet through all the ups and downs, one gift remains constant; the gift of Christ who has taken our ups and downs, brokenness and sin, providing us with the hope of eternal joy. Now that’s a present to keep close.

It’s often been said that it is better to give than to receive. This Christmas it’s better to receive Jesus for He is God’s pronouncement of everlasting joy to the world!

Isaiah 9:6 & 7a : “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice
from that time forward, even forever…..”

I find it a fantastic encouragement. The opening verse gives us that sense of belonging and comfort as we are reminded that condemnation has been laid aside for those washed with Christ‘s blood.  Having said that, we still experience those times when things could be just that little bit better.  Then we are reminded of an amazing promise that God gives us:

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

If we say God is sovereign, we must reckon that all things happen with His knowledge. The circumstances we are facing at present may not have been caused by God, but He also has not prevented them either. He alone knows the reason and we may want to know why, but in the confusion we need to trust in God‘s love. How can we be sure?

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God‘s sovereignty should be our great source of peace, joy and comfort. We all need to know that God is always with and for us.

Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us”

When someone such as Paul asks the church (at Corinth) to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11:1), he is expressing that his life is built on the teaching and example of Christ. After his remarks, Paul would have known that the Corinthian church would line up what he said with what he did. Once validated, his actions would provide the impetus for change in the church.

In order for our lives to carry the same impact, we must first look at godly examples and be a godly example to others. Far too often today our examples come from external sources, perhaps someone who can kick,  catch or hit a ball better than most. The media place “stars” on a higher plain, exulting them as the social and spiritual leaders of the day.  That is of course until a few fall, then the whole basket is rotten. So as Christians, in whatever we do, the words of Matthew 5:16 must ring true; ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see  our good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat 5:16).

When we see believers acting out their faith in all circumstances, it should inspire and encourage us. The Holy Spirit living so miraculously in us, ministers to our needs as He guides us in our thirst for spiritual refreshment. As brothers and sisters in the Lord, we owe it to each other to be that earthly inspiration in unity to present Christ faithful.

Titus 2:7-8, “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”

In reading Genesis chapters 1 and 2 this week, I wonder how God felt on his seventh day? He had surely had a very busy time up until then;-much busier than I have been, so he must have felt exhausted (or maybe not, given that he creates energy) but in Genesis 2.2 it says that “on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (of making things).

Every day up until then he had put a big tick against his creation-and he saw it was very good!!Do you feel that about everything you have done this past week or has it all been a bit mediocre?

By next Saturday at 7pm will you have put 3 big ticks where you know is right? Will you have voted for the right person to be our electorate representative, the right party to govern our land and the right choice of voting system for the long term so that you can rest well next Sunday?

God prepared well for his unique and wonderful creation, putting it in logical order and crowning it off with creating humans in His own likeness. Very shortly after that the pinnacle of His creation let Him down badly so he had to put in place His rescue plan for us all- His Son Jesus Christ.  This week let us prepare as best we can so that His will and purpose is done in the way New Zealand is governed

What price do you put on your assets and wealth? Are they worth more than your faith in Christ? Are they really yours or just something you have temporary custody over whilst here on earth?

The Bible has a lot to say about assets and wealth, but this one in Paul’s notes to Timothy sums up a lot of the New Testament view: People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (NIV 1 Timothy 6:9-11)

If we were to apply this principle to New Zealand, what would we do about it- in our nation, in our homes and in our church?

Would we seek to accumulate wealth at this time? Would we cut down on our expenditure? Would we sell off things that aren’t perhaps necessary rather than things that are? What about selling TVNZ instead of electrical generating assets? What about selling off surplus goods at home and giving the proceeds to buy food for needy families? At least one Porirua food bank had nothing to give out this week.

Would we find ways of using time, one of our fastest diminishing assets, for those things that pursue righteousness, love, faith, etc?

Ask God to give you a rhema word today as you worship Him.

It started with His creation. He has actually made all that we need for sustainable living and put it fully under our control (Genesis 1), it‟s just that we  waste so much of it!  He then made sure that our spiritual and mental welfare is taken care of by providing His Word that will form a basis for proper education and guidance for living (2 Tim 3 v 16), but most of us don‟t read it and follow its instructions!

He continued by putting in place a substitutionary, free to us survival plan, centred on His Son, Jesus Christ, who ensured that once and for all we would not have to get punished for our sins (Colossians 1 v 19-21), so how come so many people don‟t take the offer up?

Lastly he invested the care and protection of everyone on earth to his new organisation- the Church -and gave them a new law to operate under -“Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12 v 31). Now that is radical but it is what we are all commanded to do, so how come it‟s not enough?

So rather than think about whether we need any new welfare packages between now and 26th November, let us all start by practising this law today – don‟t just ask someone “How are you?”, ask instead “Do you have anything that you need that I could help you with?” and be prepared to do something about it – that  will truly bring God the glory for his innovative plan.

This issue of identity is one we should be concerned about in the forthcoming weeks as many decisions are made by us and for us on the basis of the identity we assume. Are we primarily “the redeemed of the Lord that comes with singing unto Zion” this morning or are we still All Black supporters rejoicing in world status? Does what sport we support and/or play actually matter to our God? How does being redeemed by God from our just dues affect our attitude to Him today?

Paul tells us we have become “a royal priesthood, a nation belonging to God”, but how does that relate to being a “Kiwi” today. Are we still a nation belonging to God as many once thought we were, or have we erred and gone our own ways? If so, is it possible for us to bring back our nation to one that worships at His feet and becomes His footstool?

What part would you play in this? Our identity as covenant partners in Te Tiriti o Waitangi is something many of us do not think about much, but how does God see that covenant being ratified today? After all, it was Christians who helped construct it in the first place! What is our corporate identity as The Anchor to our community today? Big questions as we worship our great big God.

This verse provides a great encouragement. Jesus under scrutiny from the legalists of the day and the threat of stoning, said it plain and clear: “I give them eternal life.” So who are “them”?

The bible tells us that if you believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved (Romans 10:13). Is this really saying that no matter what mess you have made, nothing can remove you from
the saving grace that was offered through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection? That’s right – nothing! It‟s just the type of encouragement you need to hear. When people encourage you it brings a sense of enjoyment, largely because someone has noticed you and taken the time to bring joy to your life.

If you believe in Christ, you need to understand that He has taken notice. He has promised to secure you, even in a life of multiple twists and turns.  Christ is not an absent Saviour. He is acquainted
with all your comings, goings and heart attitudes.

Now that’s security; no visual technology can match it. He wants you to rest in Him. He offers you compassion. He offers you hope – but most of all God gives you eternal life in His Son (1 John 5:11).