In this chapter John says he could ‘testify’ about Jesus Christ because he had actually seen and heard Him!  Awesome!

As a result of his personal experience with Jesus, and the wonderful privilege of listening to His teachings, John now has the right to express some of his beliefs.

Lets look at verses 5 to 10 in chapter 1.  In these verses John treats matters of faith in black and white categories which is in contrast to the moral relativism that characterizes much of modern life today.   He empathizes these contrasts with the expression “IF WE SAY”  three times in these six verses.

He begins in verse 5 with the declaration that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all, and then he challenges us to see the difference between claims of faith and the actual reality of our lives.

Verse 6  “IF WE SAY that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  V. 7  BUT, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  V 8  IF WE SAY that we have no sin, ( I believe he is referring to the fact that we were born ‘in sin’) we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

V 10 IF WE SAY that we have not sinned, ( he now states that we have all sinned by choice) we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

V 9 culminates with one of the greatest verses of encouragement to all sinners in all times!

Even though we were ‘born in sin’, and even though ‘we have all sinned’,  here in V 9 John tells us; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Hallelujah, and thank You, Father, for Your Amazing Grace!

To all who read this article Down Under, John and I send to you our greetings and best wishes.

As most of you know, the Carter Report majors in Evangelism, spreading the Good News to those who have never heard. My visit to Australia made me realize just how important Ministries like ours are to Christians living in restricted situations. Let me explain.

Many of the people I spoke to live in small country towns with only one church and a handful of members. They don’t have a regular pastor, and are visited once or twice a month. Now, those of us who live in cities, surrounded by a host of churches and with a regular pastor, may find it hard to comprehend what it is like to not have this privilege.

These dear people who live in isolated areas, told me they thank God for Ministries like ours, 3ABN, Hope and others. I spoke to one lady who lives in a town with only two families who are Adventists. They meet each Sabbath in her home to watch sermons on 3ABN. Even though these two families are restricted by their isolation from other churches they are using Christian broadcasting for encouragement and to reach out to others.

Another person I spoke to was a very colorful gentleman from Lightening Ridge; a town in a very isolated part of New South Wale and famous for opals. Len, John and I send our best wishes to you and the dozen members in your church. Over the years, Len has given out thousands of the book, “Your Bible and You” to the many tourists who visit that well known area.

Len, with many others, could just feel sorry for themselves and do nothing, but their Christianity is not built on circumstances, but rather on a close walk with God.

Then there are those who are restricted physically. I spoke to quite a number of people who are unable to attend church because of serious health problems. They are all thankful for churches like ours that telecast their services. Those who can, give DVD’s of these messages to their neighbors.

After hearing all these testimonies, two words kept ringing in my ears; AMAZING GRACE!

Lets remember, after Jesus, the greatest writer and preacher of the Gospel was the apostle Paul. Even though restricted by being put in jail, and another time under house arrest, he used these times to write some of the greatest truths ever written.

Instead of focusing on our restrictions, be it a health, marriage, family, or even a sleepy church problem, whatever it is, may God help us to focus on opportunities to share Jesus with others. In the words of Paul, ‘Without Him I can do nothing, but with Him I can do all things’!

Dear Father, We thank you for the many avenues of spreading the Good News. Help us to do all we can to keep communicating it to the world. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Dear Peter,

Let me share a few things that I have learned from John 15.

Firstly, lets read these verses.  Verse 7;  “If you remain in me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”    Verse 16;  “You did not choose Me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my Name.”

At first glance it does seem that God here promises to give us anything we ask for, but as we study it, we soon see that these promises are to help us to do God’s work on the earth.  In reality, it is all about Him, and not about us.   The good news is, God wants to give us the privilege of working in His vineyard.   Lets take a closer look.

To understand these promises, we have to read the context, which is to read all of chapter 15.

In John 15:1-6,  Jesus declares He is the true vine and His disciples are the branches.  This image shows how our lives depend on our union with Christ.  Verse 2 of John 15 talks about pruning.  It says, “God trims and prunes every branch that bears good fruit so that it will become even more fruitful”.

This pruning process is often painful, and tells us that life is not without trials.  God does not allow us to live in ‘cocoons’, and in John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”.

This is the first clue to the answer.     The promises in verses 7 and16 do not shield us from the trials of life, but are primarily for our spiritual lives.

The Father’s pruning is for the sake of growth which suggests the Christian life is not stagnant but vibrant with activity.  (If we are not growing and bearing fruit, then we are not fulfilling our Christian potential, nor are we fulfilling God’s will for our lives.))

Jesus says in verse 5, “Remain in Me and I in you.”   How does this work?

To remain in Him I have to constantly walk with Him.  By keeping our hand in His, through Bible study, prayer, and obedience, we will have constant growth, and will bear good fruit.

Although this does not mean a ‘painless’ or ‘trouble-less’ life, keeping in step with Him will bring great joy. Verse 11 says;  “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”.

If our Christian experience does not give us true joy, then we need to get back on our knees and into God’s word.

When we come in union with Jesus and seek to do His will, He will then answer our prayers, BECAUSE, we will now be praying for His purposes rather than our own selfish desires. (the work of Jesus was to do His father’s will) And that is the 2^nd clue: God will answer any prayer, with a ‘yes’,  that asks for help to live a life that glorifies Him.   In  Matthew 5:16, Jesus tells us, “In the same way, let your light (your life) so shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven”.       Just as we look for beautiful fruit from the grape vine, God wants to see us bearing beautiful fruit.

Yes, it is right and good to ask God for our daily needs (the Lord’s prayer says so) it is right and good to ask God to help in time of trouble, to guide us, to comfort us in our heartbreaks.  There are many promises that tell us this,   but in John 15: 7 and 16, we are told to ask for much, much more.

Verses 7 and16 tell us to ask for grace and strength to live a victorious, vibrant life so that our lives will bear much beautiful fruit!

Dear Father,   May our lives be emptied of selfishness and instead be filled with your promise of grace and strength to bear good fruit.   Help us to be a blessing to all whom we come in contact with.   For your glory we pray this prayer, and we pray it in Jesus Name.  Amen.

Lets ask ourselves a question. What is the desire of our hearts?   A better house, a bigger car, more clothes,  more money.  Are these desires wrong?   Some Stoic Philosophers at the beginning of Christianity taught that a Christian should ‘destroy desire completely’.

While it is true that the desire to lie, to blaspheme, to commit adultery, (sexual or emotional) to do bodily harm, to murder etc. are against the laws of God;  the Bible does not oppose all desires.  1 Tim. 6:11 tells us to desire righteousness, godliness, do good, be generous and more. This chapter also tells us while we have to make a living, we need to be careful we don’t become greedy.  Many think if they become rich and famous that they have really made it in life, but if these earthly desires destroy our desire for heaven, it’s like we are playing with mud pies while throwing the real treasure away.

Luke 12:34, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”   I Timothy 6:17-19 tells us how to lay up treasure in heaven.    Paul says;  “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Lets remember the story of the prodigal son.   He, like so many, wanted immediate riches, so he asked his father for his inheritance.  As he ran down the road towards ‘Las Vegas’, he was thinking about all the great fun he was going to have.   He would eat, drink and be merry to his heart’s content, never considering that perhaps one day his money would run out.  Of course, that is exactly what happened.   He used up all his money on wine, women and song.   He found himself in the pigpen, so hungry that he would gladly have eaten their food but the Bible says, no one offered him anything.  This wasn’t just a physical hunger, but mainly a spiritual one.  Before coming to Christ, we all have this hunger in our souls; an empty hole in our hearts, and only one can fill it, Jesus Christ, the ‘Desire of all Hearts’ and ‘The Desire of all the Ages’.

The Bible teaches us not to become enamored with the things of this world.  God doesn’t want us to spend our lives fretting about what we don’t have, or fretting while we get more of what we do have.  Since the recent financial crisis, I’ve heard many speaking  about downsizing and trying to live a more simple life. This fits with Paul’s words in both Hebrews 13 and 1Timothy 6;   “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.  Instead, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”  May these desires be the desire of our hearts.

Dear Father in Heaven,  Thank You for telling us about the most important things in life.  Help us to get our priorities right, so that we might live happy and fulfilling lives that will glorify You.  Amen.

In 1997, the United Nations named their ‘World’s Ambassador of Friendship’. Guess who it is? No less then that illustrious fellow, Winnie the Pooh! While Teddy Bears make wonderful friends, there is another animal that rates even higher on the friendship list.

There is a story about Adam in the Garden of Eden…he was feeling very lonely one day, (this was before Eve was created) and was sitting on a rock with his head in his hands when all of a sudden he felt a cool, wet touch on his hand. Looking up, he looked into the big, brown eyes of a Labrador, and dogs have been man’s best friend ever since.

Let me tell you a wonderful story of an organization called ‘East Coast Assistance Dogs’ (or Dogs of Peace) which was started by a lady named Lu Picard in Connecticut here in the US. She takes specially bred pups at two months old, and trains them for two years to help physically challenged people. What they learn to do is simply amazing, and I’ll come back to that in a moment.

A second amazing thing that she has done is to take adolescents, who have emotional and behavioral problems, and trains them to train the dogs. She writes, “The effect of this work on the kids is wonderful to watch. Most of our students are struggling with anger and pain. They often feel incapable of giving or receiving love. Working with the dogs helps even the most difficult children establish a sense of self worth, and they learn to trust again. They also learn a strong work ethic that becomes invaluable to them”.

Over the two years, the dogs learn to perform up to 80 commands.
Apart from helping with every day activities, Lu has now added a special therapy program to assist soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Trained by at-risk teens, these dogs pick up dropped objects, open and close doors, open refrigerators, pull wheelchairs, interrupt nightmares and flash backs, remind them to take their meds; all the while providing unconditional love and comfort.

After the two years of training, comes graduation, which marks the final step for the trainers and is always an emotional event. It is not easy to say goodbye to the dogs, but the sense of pride and accomplishment makes it all worthwhile.

For those of us with good health and who are able bodied, this may not seem that significant, but if we had a disabled child, a family member who was a paraplegic, or had a friend just returned from war service with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, we would realize what a blessing and lifesaving work this is. I encourage you to visit her web site at www.ecad1.org

WHAT ARE FRIENDS? The best of friends can change a frown into a smile when we feel down. The best of friends will understand our little trials and lend a hand. The best of friends, worth more than gold, give all the love a heart can hold. May God help us to be that kind of friend.

Dear Father, We thank you for people like Lu Picard who spend their lives helping those who need some unconditional love and support. May we do our part by being friendly, and helping those in need who cross our path. Amen.

In Luke 2, Dr. Luke writes about shepherds watching their flock by night, when suddenly an angel appeared. At first the shepherds were afraid and must have been thinking ‘this angel has taken a wrong turn. He should be speaking to the church leaders, not us’. Or else, and now they were really shaking in their sandals, perhaps the angel had come to pass judgment on them. To their astonishment, the angel begins to speak, and they hear the greatest front-page announcement of all time! “Fear not: for behold, I bring you GOOD TIDINGS of GREAT JOY, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”! What an announcement! Yes, many had prophesied about this event, and now it is here! Notice firstly how the angel alleviates their fear; “Don’t be afraid”.

When the gospel is accepted into the heart all fear is swept away and is replaced with peace and joy. As Psalm 27:1 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid”.
Secondly, we notice how emphatic the angel is about the message he is bearing: “I bring you good tidings of, not just ‘joy’ but good tidings of GREAT joy!

Tis’ true, the gospel creates the greatest possible joy in the human heart where ever it is received. I love this statement from the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon; “Man is like a harp unstrung, and the music of his soul’s living strings is discordant, (because of sin) his whole nature wails with sorrow; but the Son of David has come to restore the harmony of humanity, and where His gracious fingers move among the strings, the touch of the fingers of an incarnate God brings forth music sweet as that of celestial spheres, and melody rich as a Seraph’s song. Would God that all men felt that divine hand.” On hearing the ‘good news of great joy’, the shepherds rushed into Bethlehem to see the baby who was to grow up to be ‘the Savour’ for all people.
While most of the world recognizes that this baby was born so long ago, and many of them celebrate His birth, most leave Him there in the manger. Sadly, they forget that He grew up to become the Savior of the world.

Over the years, many have written great hymns about this joyful event. In the late 1600’s, a melody composed by Johann Schop, words by Martin Janus and re-arranged by Johann Sebastian Bach, became the beautiful piece, “Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring”. This magnificent hymn is often played at weddings.
Another famous hymn writer was Isaac Watts, who in 1717, wrote, “Joy to the World”, a song that announces our Lord & Savour has come.

A third and well known hymn is “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”, which has the inspired words, ‘God of glory, Lord of love’ expressed in it. The words were written in 1907 by American, Henry van Dyke and were set to the music of a hymn written by Beethoven.

The words the angel announced so long ago finds us still singing these joyful songs today. The financial news may get better or it may get worse in 2010, the wars may go on for a long time, but whatever is happening around us or to us, the GOOD NEWS is this: “Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy.

For unto you, 2,000 years ago, was born in the city of David a Savior, which was, and is, Christ the Lord!” Dear Father, as we start 2010 may we go with this wonderful truth ringing in our ears; the Savior has come! May His peace and joy be ours as we face the ‘up’s’ and ‘down’s’ that are sure to come during this year. Help us to walk close to You so that You can direct and use our lives for good. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Some of the greatest examples of courageous living in the Bible are the stories of Daniel & his three friends. They were thrust into a pagan society entirely alien to their background and beliefs. We today live in a similar world; a world that is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christians.

Daniel and his friends withstood the great tests of their faith because they had decided in their youth that their top priority in life was not to be rich or famous, but rather to be faithful to their heavenly Father. (If you are not familiar with their stories, please read chapters 1,3 and 6 in the book of Daniel.)

Then we come to the apostle Paul in the New Testament. A man full of courage and contentment. Lets look at some words from his letter to the Philippians.

Some years ago when I was feeling a little discouraged, I read this letter, only 4 chapters, out loud in our bathroom in Texas. (The bathrooms in Texas are large and very nice.) I was greatly blessed, and I can recommend it to all who haven’t tried it before. Reading Scripture out loud to one’s self can be very inspirational.

This letter to the Philippians was written while Paul was in prison, but instead of being full of discontent and despair, we find him full of hope and joy. I am just going to pick out a few gems.

Paul was in prison. Paul’s world was continually challenging, and yet he says in chapter 4, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances”. How many truly contented people do you and I know? Are we content with our lot in life or do we find ourselves discontented? Chasing after ‘things’, and full of anxiety over world events.

What was Paul’s secret weapon against ‘discontentment’? It’s found in chapter 3 where he says, ‘that I may know Him’. In another verse he talks about ‘knowing Jesus Christ my Lord’. Not just gathering information about Him, but his chief desire was to know Christ personally. The better he got to know Him, the more Paul understood about His grace and mercy, the more Paul trusted and loved his Savior.

He goes onto say, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always.’ Paul could rejoice because he realized God was using his life to witness to many about God’s amazing grace. Paul rejoiced in Christ as his Creator, and his Redeemer. He also rejoiced, through all his afflictions in life, in the Hope of the Second Coming of Christ. He continually rejoiced in God’s promise that He will never leave nor forsake us.

In other words, Praise Him! In all the trials of life, Paul could remain calm and content because he believed God’s Word.

Whether you are a new Christian or a young Christian, I can testify that this letter to the Philippians is the best prescription for peace of mind that I know. In the words of Paul, ‘May His grace and peace be yours now and always.’

Dear Father, Help us to believe unreservedly in God’s Word that we might, like Paul, learn to be content whatever the circumstances. Amen.

Did you know that a large percentage of our food comes as a result of being pollinated by honeybees? The bees collect nectar and pollen for their food, and as they flitter from flower to flower, the pollen rubs off the bees on to the flower’s pistils. Hence all the flowers are pollinated and everybody is happy!

No matter what country you live in, you will have some of these fruits and vegetables that should make us all very thankful to this amazing little creature.

Honeybees turn the collected nectar, through a clever process, into honey. They also provide royal jelly, which is a protein rich substance. Then there is beeswax from which we can make candles, furniture, and leather polishes; cold cream and other cosmetics etc.

When worker bees discover a new patch of flowers, they fly back to the hive and communicate the news through the language of dance. Scientists have deciphered what they call the “round” dance if the flowers are close by, or the “waggle” dance for places further away.

It’s all rather amazing, and just one more ingenious creation of our amazing God!

Here’s a little bit of fun. Why do bees hum? Because they do not know the words. Where did Noah keep his bees? In the ark-hives. What did the bee ask the flower? When are you open for business? What did the flower reply to the bee? Buzz off! How does the Queen bee fix her hair? She uses a honey-comb.

Even bees have humor, and also some valuable lessons for us.

They are not lazy. As we study them, we see how hard they work to provide all these wonderful things for us. We humans, with our bigger brains, should be able to accomplish much more.

They remind us of all the pleasurable things they help to create for us. Flowers! What would we do without their beauty to gladden our gardens and homes? Then there is Food! Eating is a very pleasurable thing that can be enjoyed either alone or in the company of family and friends.

When we look at the world today, we see a lot of unpleasantness. People are angry, people hate each other, they kill each other. Instead of hate and anger, let us spread kindness and cheerfulness!

There are 61 verses in the Bible that mention honey. In the OT most of the verses are similar to this one found in Numbers 14:8 “If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land flowing with milk and honey.” Not literally of course. I believe the writer means it will be simply ‘delicious’! The land—or heaven—will be more ‘delicious’ than anything we have tasted or seen before! We thank God for the hope of a better land!

Dear Father, Help us to spread joy around. Help us to be like the honeybees, that our hands and hearts may produce the fruits of the spirit as found in Galatians 5:22,23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Amen.

On a dark Sunday morning, when the weather was freezing, wet and stormy, one of his deacons whispered to another, “I’m sure the preacher won’t be able to thank God for anything on a day like this. It’s absolutely horrible outside.”

The Pastor began the service by praying, “We thank Thee, O God, that the weather is not always like this.”

I think that’s a great lesson for all of us. Every morning the media seems to present us with more bad news and this week was no exception.

The really BAD news is the Bible tells us things are going to get much worse. There are bigger storms on the horizon. But as the old Scottish Pastor said, “We can thank God, that it will not always be like this!”

Until then we can find comfort in Psalm 112:7 which says; “He is not afraid of received bad news BECAUSE his faith is strong, and he trusts the LORD.”

It is human to be afraid when we first hear bad news, but then as we turn to our dearest and best friend, Jesus Christ, He gives us peace.

Romans 5:1 says, “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us!”

So, no matter what bad news tomorrow might bring, we will remain calm and steady as long as we keep our eyes on Christ.

If you have never given your life to Christ, then I encourage you to do so right now.1 John 1:9 says; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Of course that’s the secret. The moment we accept Christ into our lives, He gives us forgiveness and peace.

Our Father Who Art In Heaven
Dear Father, what a privilege that You, the Creator of the Universe, have invited us to call You Father…..and indeed You are, for You also created us. We are Your children; please give us grace to represent Your good and righteous name aright. Help us to be mindful to treat all with respect, because we are all members of the human family.

Hallowed, Or Honored Be Thy Name
We worship you today as YAHWEH, the Self Existent One, the Great I Am!  You are EL SHADDI, the Almighty God.  We worship You our JEHOVAH JIREH, the LORD who provides.  Help us to live lives that will bring honor to Your Holy Name.

Thy Kingdom Come
We thank You, Father, that Your Kingdom of grace came when Jesus appeared and lived amongst us. Because Jesus came, lived, died and rose again, we now look forward to Your coming glorious Kingdom in all it’s fullness!

Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven
Forgive us for the many times we have followed our own will. Give us grace to do Your will as shown to us in the Bible. Make us willing to heed the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Dear Father, thank You for our daily bread, and for reminding us that we are to live one day at a time. These words also help us to recognize how dependent we are on You for both spiritual and physical needs. We thank You for all the blessings of life, and most of all we thank You for the Bread of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors
Our Father, this is not always easy to do. Forgive us for the times we have failed. Help us to remember Your love and forgiveness for our sins. May it inspire and encourage us to show the same love and forgiveness towards those who sin against us.

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil
Please Father, deliver us from the temptations that spring from within us, our own sinful natures. Help us to use our common sense so as not to put ourselves in the way of temptation. Please protect us and our loved ones from the evil one.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray this prayer to You, the God of heaven. For Thine is the Kingdom, Thine is the power, and Thine is the glory forever and ever. We pray this prayer in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.