Thought for 15 November

 Thought for Monday 15 November

Titus 1:16

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

 

Are we worthy of the title ‘Christian’? Are we Christian in name only or do our lives reflect our claim?

Many people claim to be followers of Christ because they attend church every Sunday without fail. However, their action (or inaction) does not uphold the claim they make.

I remember when a new neighbour moved in next door. I was at work on the day but when I got home I was puzzled to see bread boards tied all the way down the fence between our back gardens but thought, ‘each to his own’. Next day there were some on the other side.

A few days later Andrea was playing in the back garden with her cousin when I heard a man’s voice shouting and went to the window to see what was happening. It was the man from next door shouting at the girls to make less noise, his language was atrocious, aimed at two 6-year-old girls playing with dolls and prams. I went out to ask what the problem was but he had gone back inside. The girls were crying so I had to bring them indoors. This behaviour happened every time Alex or Andrea were in the garden despite Benny having words with him. Eventually the kids wouldn’t play in their own garden. The children on his other side had a swing and a chute but couldn’t use them because of his abusive ranting.

I was told he was an Elder in the church he attended. At first I didn’t believe the friend who told me this but I did know they both went out every Sunday carrying their bibles and looking every bit as pious as anyone could look. It turned out that he was indeed an Elder and I often wondered how he was with his district members. At that time, I wasn’t an Elder but I was grateful for the fact that the Elder I had was polite and pleasant and not like my neighbour.

We are told in Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

This is the expectation for Christ followers, five things that should govern our actions. No matter who we are dealing with, these things must be foremost in our conduct toward them. If we act as Jesus would toward others we are on the right path. We must follow the example of our Lord, Jesus Christ didn’t just show us how we should act but also how we should speak.

 

Prayer

Eternal Father, thank You for the loving way You take care of us. Help us to show that loving care toward those we meet in our day to day lives, not only in our actions but in how we speak to them. Help us to remember that our actions may be the deciding factor in their decision to follow Jesus or not, help us to walk more closely in His footsteps. Amen.

 

Thought for the Day - Monday 2 August

James 1:22 (New Living Translation) But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  Today’s thought is from a letter written by the Apostle James primarily to Jewish believers scattered all over the world but it is equally relevant to non-jews and all who seek to learn a little more about what is expected from us if we wish to follow Jesus. The whole chapter is thought provoking and worth reading if you have time.  Those who have done work for the church or voluntary work in any capacity will, no doubt have found it extremely challenging at times.  Sometimes it gets to the stage when you think; ‘that’s it, I’ve had enough’.  At that point, you have a decision to make. James helps us make that decision earlier in this chapter from verses 2-4 by writing; ‘2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing’. He continues by saying words to the effect that if you’re struggling and need help, ask God for this help and be genuine when you do this i.e. don’t ask God for help if you do not expect to receive it.  If you have doubts, then your faith in God is just not strong enough. When we are tempted not to do the right thing, it is not God who is tempting us.  It just means we are putting the cares of the world before the things God would have us do. James reassures us later in the chapter at verse 12 as to our reward if we do as directed by our Christian teaching i.e. not just reading scripture or having someone preach to us about scripture but actually putting what we hear or what we are taught into action.    12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you for all things and especially the lovely sunny weather we have been blessed with this summer.  We thank you that with the global restrictions that are currently in place, we are having an even greater appreciation of the natural beauty that surrounds us locally and at a multitude of other places in this beautiful country in which we live.     Amen.

Thought for Day 28 July

Thought for Wednesday 28 July Acts 17:27-29 NIVUK God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.” ‘Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by human design and skill. As I said in Monday’s thought, people today have all sorts of idols. Many are selfish in that what they want is paramount in their lives. So often I see young families passing my window, parents engrossed in their ‘idol’ (their mobile phone) and leaving toddlers to follow as they will. One young man was pushing a crying baby in a buggy, but both hands were on his phone and he pushed the buggy with his body, totally unaware of the baby. Mum was yelling at the toddler to ‘hurry up’ without looking up from her phone. Even family gatherings are victims of this unsociable behaviour, where some people cannot even eat at a table and have a conversation with others, without checking their messages. It makes others think they are not important enough to deserve more attention than a phone. The number of times I see this happening makes me thank God that we can depend on His guidance at all times. He is far removed from those people. He has His eyes on us at all times and if it looks like we are going to step off the path His hand gently guides us back God is not a man-made effigy. God is the supreme creator of all that is. He doesn’t want to be ‘far removed’ from anyone. He wants to be an integral part of our lives, that part which we know we cannot live without. We must be aware that without God we are nothing but dust. We did not make Him…He made us! Prayer Father, we thank and praise You for your constant attention. We know that You always want what is best for us as we sometimes want to do things our way. You correct our way with love and patience, allowing us a small amount of space to learn that we need Your guidance. Amen.          

Thought for the Day 26 July

Thought for Monday 26 July Micah 7: 19 NIVUK You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. When I was young my granny gave me a bible, which I started ‘reading’ before I could even pronounce most of the words, never mind understand them. Of course, I was able to ask my granny to help. The KJV is hard for adults to read so children have no chance without help. I read about the crucifixion without knowing what that word meant (granny didn’t go into detail) except that Jesus died, then His Father, God, brought him back to life. WOW!!! What a ‘man’ God must be. My gran also taught me The Lord’s Prayer and explained what forgiveness was. I have to say that I thought all the sin we had committed was written in a big book so that God could check up on us every time we did something wrong. That is a scary place for a 5/6 year old to be. As I got older I realised that sins were not written in a book, God forgot about them by ‘throwing them in the sea’. Then, getting a bit older, I got to thinking, God doesn’t forget anything so how could He forget our sins? Now my thoughts are that God doesn’t forget our sins, He chooses not to remember them. He makes the decision not to think about the sins we are guilty of, if we confess them with true remorse. He forgives us and doesn’t hold a grudge against us. Just as The  Prayer says, ‘forgive us our sin as we forgive those who sin against us’, if we truly forgive those who do us wrong we can’t afford to hold a grudge either. We must either forgive and let it go or we have not forgiven. If we want (need) God to forgive us, we must do likewise to others, it’s not an option. Prayer Forgiving Father, we confess that we are sinners and we ask You to forgive us for the times we have given in to temptation. Please help us to close our ears to the words of the one who tries so hard to turn us from Your path, the only path that we know will lead us to eternal life. Amen.    

Thought fir Wednesday 21 July

Thought for Wednesday 21 July Psalm 73:7-9 NIV UK From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. When I hear about the numbers of people trying to enter the country illegally I have mixed feelings about it. I know they should be trying through the correct channels but their chances of success are negligible, no matter their country of choice. I’ve wondered how I would cope with the situation they find themselves in. I would certainly be trying to find a way out of the persecution that is driving these people to find somewhere safe to bring up their children. How would I have felt if my child was born and the first sound to assail their ears was that of gunfire? Or the knowledge that in a few years they could be kidnapped to be indoctrinated into the belief that violence is the only way to convert people to follow their violent beliefs. I thank and praise God that I live in a country where I can freely worship God and put my heart fully into His loving hands. I can attend worship services knowing that I won’t be attacked for my faith. I am aware though that even in this country some people are attacked for their faith and it makes me angry that these attackers use the excuse of ‘faith’ as a reason for the assaults, when it is just plain old hatred and a love of violence. We need to be vigilant always in case the evil one manages to find a crack in our defences, to make a home for himself in us. The only way to combat this is to put our trust in the One who holds us in the palm of His hand and believe in His protection.        As David says in  Psalm 5: 11, 12   But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield. Prayer Mighty God, we know that we are safe in Your hands. We need You to hold us because if we try to hold You we may grow weak and let go. We need to trust in Your strength to protect us from the evil that surrounds us, which is growing ever more conspicuous. Be with us always as we praise and worship You. Amen.                

Wed 7 July

Thought for Wednesday 7 July Proverbs 16:28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. I wonder if you have ever been the subject of gossip, or helped to spread it? I hold my hands up and say that I have been guilty of it, until I realised the real cost of it. New neighbours moved next door to us many years ago. They were a lovely couple with a gorgeous wee boy. They had moved from a different village but didn’t say why, her mother still stayed in the village they came from. Eventually, when we knew each other better, we were sitting in her kitchen talking over coffee (as you do), when she started to tell me why they had moved. Her cousin had told her that her best friend was telling everybody that she stole from her work and had been sacked. This wasn’t true, she had left to go to another job but the word was about and she was the centre of everyone’s conversation. The result, as you can imagine, was a lot of hurt and angry words. The friends were longer on speaking terms and the stress was putting her marriage at risk so after months of being pointed at and talked about, the couple decided they needed to move house so that they could move on. The truth did come out in the end but too late for the friends, or her relationship with her cousin. Bill spoke, on Sunday, about The Ten Commandments and when I got home and was thinking about the sermon and the Commandments, when my ex-neighbour phoned me and it dawned on me that gossip is much like murder. Gossip kills reputations and friendships. It destroys trust and takes away confidence in others. In Romans 1:28-30 the Bible says    Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Gossips are right up there with all the other sinners! This is becoming more and more what we see in this world today. It’s as if everything in the Bible is being turned on its head.  Too many people today don’t care about truth and honesty. They are only concerned about themselves and don’t see a need to be honest about anything that doesn’t fill their own wants. The most heart-breaking thing is them bringing their children up with their own morals. Isaiah says,    ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter’. Prayer Gracious Lord, Please help us to distance ourselves from gossip, either from listening to it or spreading it. We know that even truth told in the wrong spirit can be so destructive. Help us to discern between gossip and informative news, which may be needed so that help or a visit can be arranged for someone. Amen.

Thought for Friday 11 June

Thought for Friday 11 June 1 Corinthians 10: 13 NIVUK   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.   There is not a person alive who hasn’t been tempted in some way, more than once. If you say you haven’t, you lie! Temptation is not only about obvious sin. I know I am tempted daily. For instance, I think ‘I could eat that biscuit, nobody would know’. At least until I got my diabetic HBA1C test, which shows how many times I’ve cheated in the past 3 months. In a roundabout way I will have sinned by cheating, even if it’s only myself I’m hurting, so you see this temptation was only about the biscuit in the first place but it would lead to sin. Mind you, I wish that was the only temptation I faced daily. I am really glad that God does help when asked. No matter what the temptation, it often it leads to sin. Are you tempted to take a day off work? Will you phone your boss and say you can’t be bothered with work today, or will you lie and say you are sick? Are you tempted to say something cost less (or more) than it actually did? Did you forget something you should have bought, did you say they didn’t have it? Of course, not all temptations lead to sin. If we are tempted to join a self-help group for instance or to help someone else would that be sinful? I personally don’t think so as long as your motives are honest. Allowing yourself to be tempted is very tempting but it doesn’t matter how innocent things seem, there is a real possibility it might lead to sin in some way. There is a way out though! In today’s bible passage we are told that God will not let us be tempted beyond our endurance, He will give us a way to reject the voice in our head that tells us to do what we know is wrong. It is easy to give in to temptation. It’s just easier (at least for me) to ask God for help than to ask His forgiveness, even though both requests would be answered. Prayer Ever present Father, we are told so often in scripture that you are always there for us so why is it sometimes so hard for us to ask for Your help? We know that we can’t live this life without Your help but too often we try to go it alone. Let us realise that our need for Your help will never end so we need to learn to trust You more. Amen.

Re-opening of Church

Holytown Church is re-opening on Sunday 6th June at 10 am. We welcome you back. our new locum Bill Hastings will be conducting the service. Face masks have to be worn in Church. Also one way system, contact names taken for track and trace and hand sanitising. We look forward to seeing you again. Wrangholm Church will re-open on 20 June at 11.30 am.

Thought for the Day - Monday 10 May

Thought for Monday 10 May From Jenny Rankin, Wrangholm Matthew 18: 21+22 (NIVUK) 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ 22 Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. These verses put it in a nutshell. We are to forgive those who treat us badly, not just once but as many times as they ask for it. In the same way that we come to God time after time to ask for His forgiveness, often for the same thoughts, words or deeds over and over again. I’m sad to say that’s usually the way with me. When people hurt or betray us it is often hard for us to look past the hurt to find the grace to forgive. However, we don’t have the choice to withhold that forgiveness if we want the same grace shown to us by God. This is made clear in Matthew 6: 14+15 where it says,  “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”. Believe me, I need too much forgiveness to take a chance on not forgiving those who have hurt me, either in the past or in the future. That’s not to say that we need to set ourselves up to be betrayed or hurt in any way. We are definitely not Godlike in that way we are flawed humans. When God forgives us He can forget it, not because He is forgetful but because He chooses not to remember. Sadly, we don’t have the ability to deliberately ‘not remember’ things. If we do manage to keep a memory at bay while we are awake it can turn up in a dream or a nightmare. If you have ever struggled to forgive someone you have possibly realised that the other person sometimes isn’t even aware of having done anything to you that needs forgiving. Withholding forgiveness in this case hurts you more than it does them. My personal thought on this is that God is prodding you toward the forgiveness you need to grant the other person. Ask God for help if you need to. But forgive! So many folks I know have told me they can’t forgive someone. However, after a while they often become obsessed by the thought of whatever the other person did, or didn’t do, bitterness appears because the offender is getting on with their life while the aggrieved party is so stuck in the offence that it has become a millstone around their neck to be worn daily. Nothing is worth having to live like that. Prayer Forgiving Father, give us the grace to be able to forgive others as You forgive us. We thank you for all Your grace and mercy, undeserved but so gratefully accepted. Help us to forgive even those who deliberately set out to cause hurt, realising that this may be caused by greater hurt in them. Amen.      

Thought for the day - Wednesday 28 April 2021

Thoughts for Wednesday 28 April From Jenny Rankin, Wrangholm Psalm 13:2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? While I was thinking about this ‘thought’, it came to me that sometimes something happens that evokes a memory of past events. Sometimes these are good memories and sometimes not so good. The ‘not so good’ ones are usually the ones we cannot stop thinking about. We get mired down in them, wondering if we could have done something differently. These are the ones we think we can’t  even share with anyone because we feel stupid or ashamed of getting into a situation. Perhaps even scared in case it happens again or we can’t cope with the sadness it causes. ‘A trouble shared is a trouble halved’? We could tell a friend, but could we trust them not to betray that trust? Not that they would necessarily ‘blab’ but it could slip out by accident. Human beings are only human after all. This would just add another worry. However, what about the Friend we all have who has NEVER let a secret ‘slip’? God knows all our secrets and has kept them since the beginning of time. Not only secrets but our fears and happiness can be shared with Him In Psalm 13 David thinks God has forgotten him, he thinks God will let his (David’s) enemies overcome him. This doesn’t stop David from speaking to God about his fear. He knows God has never let him down so this is who he turns to in his despair. We can turn to Him too. Our enemy is the evil one, who takes our thoughts and uses them for his own purposes. The only way to escape him is to call upon the one who is the source of all our strength, Almighty God! The more we speak to God the stronger we get against the evil thoughts that pull us down. We must pray, pray and pray some more!   Prayer Lord God, help us daily to know that we can come to You with all our secrets and worries. We do know that You will never mock us or ridicule us, in fact You can give us the confidence to deal with anything the evil one throws at us. Thank You for being there for us all the time.  Amen.                  

Thought for the Day - Monday 15 March

(2 Corinthians 12:9) But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  Nobody knows what Paul’s weakness was. We only know that he asked God three times to take it away and he was told ‘no’. So, he lived with it and used it to strengthen his ministry and display God’s Grace and Power to others. It could have been anything, we will probably never know but by still being able to teach Jesus’ message he was showing everyone that there was a stronger power behind him, God Himself, giving Paul the Grace he needed to carry on. We are all like Paul, we all have weaknesses that we would like to be rid of, and of course we all think that our weakness is worse than anyone else’s. However, we wouldn’t be able to cope with theirs any more than with our own. The common thread is God’s Grace. Without it we are absolutely floundering. One of my weaknesses seems to be lack of confidence (so I’m told), I only know that when I have a service to prepare and preach I’m convinced that people are going to fall asleep or wonder what on earth I’m talking about. That is one of the times when God is seriously overworked, His ears must be falling off listening to me. But that’s one of His happy times, when we are willing to go to Him with our fears and ask for His help. That shows Him that we trust Him! And it does work! When someone asks us for help we give it (I hope) whenever we can, that’s love for our neighbour, and we can be sure that if we are willing to help others in their weakness, God is infinitely more willing to help those who ask Him. We should remember though, when we ask God for help we need to also thank Him when He provides it. Also remember that the answer may not be what you expect  but it will be the right one. Prayer Gracious Father, help us to come to you with all our hopes and fears. You take delight in helping us when we ask. Our problem is that we don’t ask often enough. Too often we rely on ourselves, and the brain and mind You built into us. We forget that You gave us that brain, so you know the questions before we ask but we still must ask!  Give us encouragement to come to you in trust and faith. Amen.

Thought for the Day - Wednesday 3 March

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New Living Translation)   “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.   I’ve often heard over the years, people saying; ‘how could God have let that happen?’  This may have been in relation to wars, to the tragic events at the twin towers, famines in various parts of Africa or, more recently, the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.  I’m sure there are many others you may think of maybe even down to terrible events that have affected someone you know.    The first direct prophecy of the messiah can be found in Deuteronomy 18, 15-19 where Moses says; ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.’   This prophecy was made approximately 1500 years before Jesus walked the earth.  We may ask; why 1500 years, why not 100 years, why not 1000 years but only God has the answer to that question.   Men and women will never be able to fully understand God’s plan, they cannot see it but that doesn't mean it does not exist.  Part of his plan may take place within our own lifetimes without us even noticing and parts of it may take many years to fall into place, but fall into place, it will.   Prayer. Our Lord and our God, we thank you that you hold us in safe hands.  Help us realise our limitations of understanding but let us remember that you are working your purpose out.  Help us to be patient and attempt to live our lives in ways that would be acceptable to you and we beg forgiveness when we fail.  All these things we ask through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Thought for the Day Monday 1 March

Thought for the day Monday March 1st 2021   Psalm 73:25-26 (New Living Translation)   Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.   Once again, I’ve taken the daily reading from the Bible Gateway website.  The last time I wrote one of these articles, I suggested that I’m sometimes guilty or other wise of overthinking.  Today, this made me think about the purpose of producing these thoughts.  I believe it is simply to take a piece of scripture and to offer some suggestions as to its meaning and relevance today.  It is also an opportunity to learn about the bible together and maybe encourage us to do something in our daily lives slightly differently.   In my bible it says at the beginning of chapter 73 that it is a psalm of Asaph and within the book of Psalms there are another eleven chapters where it says the same.  Asaph is identified with these twelve Psalms and is said to be the son of Berechiah who is said to be an ancestor of the Asaphites. The Asaphites were one of the guilds of musicians in the First Temple.   On initially looking at these two verses in isolation, I was struggling to get anything to write so then I read the whole chapter and it all became a bit clearer.  The writer says more or less that he was nearly at the stage of giving up on God.  This was due to envy of others that could be perceived as wicked or crooked or ungodly but despite this, appeared to enjoy the good things in this life.  Their bodies were healthy and strong and they didn’t seem to be weighed down with the problems that the rest of us experience.  In the new living translation, they are even described as ‘fat cats’ that have everything their hearts could ever wish for despite speaking evil and being prepared to crush others just to get what they want.   The writer feels the need to ask; ‘does God realise what’s going on?’ and then sets aside some time to listen to God and try to understand why people like this appear to prosper.  He is obviously led by God to consider the eventual destiny of these people that seem to have it all and this is quite poetically described in the following way: ‘Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake.  When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life.’  He realises that his envy had left him feeling foolish and bitter.  Despite the trials of this life, heaven awaits for those who stick with God because the trials are temporary but the reward is everlasting.    Prayer. Heavenly Father, help us not to be envious of others who have more material things than us in this life and help us to be ever thankful of the promise of being with you in life eternal, a promise that only you can deliver if we hold to you despite the distractions and temptations of this world in which we live. Amen

Thought for the Day - Wednsday 24 February

Thought for Wednesday 24 February 2021 Jeremiah 3:22   ‘Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.’ ‘Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God.   I was reading an email from a friend in Canada and she happened to mention something about the time we started our correspondence, by ‘snail mail’. My husband was a bus driver for most of his working life and about 30 some years ago he was one of a number of drivers ferrying the Canadian Legion Pipe Bands around Scotland. They had come to take part in the Edinburgh Festival and visit Highland Games around the country. He came home after 10 days with half a dozen addresses to write to. Now I don’t know about any men reading this, but letter writing was not Benny’s strong point, in fact it wasn’t one of his ‘points’ at all so I was left to it and I’m still in contact with two of them. Anyway, on one of the days out for them they were passing an immense patch of heather and amid all the oohing and ahhing, Benny asked them if they would like some (shh, say nothing). This ended up with him going down the hill a bit, clipping off a stem here and there. On the way back uphill, he started to slide backward. After the guys on the bus stopped laughing some of them got out to ‘help’ which resulted in more hilarity. But what if there had been nobody on the bus fit to help Benny back up the hill, or if he hadn’t been willing to accept the help offered, what would he have done? He would have landed at the bottom of the incline, up to his knees in muck and mud. This started me thinking. How grateful are we that when we start sliding backward spiritually, there is the mighty hand of God, always ready to catch us? Our wonderful Father in Heaven is not willing to let one of us be lost at the bottom of a slippery and dangerous path. We only need to be willing to hold our hand out and ask for His help and forgiveness.   Prayer Dear Lord We sometimes do slip from the path You have laid for us. Our problem usually is that we are blind to the wrong turnings we take and stubbornly hold to the choices we have made, refusing to admit our mistakes. Help us to see what’s happening, to admit the mistake, and ask for Your help. Amen.

Thought for the Day - Friday 19 February

Thought for the day Friday February 19th 2021   1 John 4:11-12 (New Living Translation)   Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.   Since it’s Friday, I thought I would start on a lighter note before attempting to write a little about today’s reading from Holy scripture.   Is it only me that when I call friends just now, I sometimes seem I have very little to talk about because none of us who are adhering to the Covid guidelines are doing much worth talking about.  Most days my routine changes very little, I walk my dog for at least 6 of those days and on Sunday, that responsibility falls to another.  I find that when out walking, we get time to think and, sometimes overthink some of life’s little occurrences.  For example, during the week, I was walking my usual paths when a family was approaching consisting of four generations of the female gender varying from a small child in a buggy to a friendly looking soul who appeared to be the matriarch.  When I got closer, the matriarch shouted enthusiastically to the occupant of the buggy; ‘haw Charmaine, look, it’s a woof woof’.  Now after this friendly and harmless encounter, I found myself thinking about it and arrived at the following conclusion: ‘haw Charmaine, look, it’s a West Highland terrier’ would be unrealistic, but surely ‘doggy’ instead of ‘woof woof’ shouldn’t be too much to expect!   Another thing on social media that caught my eye was a message that said; ‘The fact that there’s a ‘Highway to hell’ and only a ‘Stairway to Heaven’ could say a lot about anticipated traffic numbers’.   Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive the previous anecdotes, now to the real business.  I was checking out the ten commandments and noticed as you will all know, that each one of these commandments tell us things that we shouldn’t be doing (don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t gossip etc.). Taking this a little further, I wondered if we kept all these commandments, would it make us more likeable and lovable people in the eyes of God and Man.  The old testament tells us of God’s power when we are told of the creation, the flood and how those not on the Ark were dealt with, the way the Egyptians pursuing the Israelites were dealt with, the way Lot’s wife was dealt with and many other examples of His power.   In the new testament we are told ‘what to do’ as opposed to ‘what not to do’.  When Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment, he responds ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: Love your neighbour as yourself.  All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments’.   Todays reading reminds us that although God is a powerful God, He is also a loving God.  He doesn’t ask us to show we are His people by demonstrating acts of power and punishment.    Jesus came into this world because God loved us enough to send his only son to live His life as a perfect example to all mankind for all time.  John asks us to please God by being loving to one another and that if we do this, God will truly live within us.   Prayer. Our Lord and our God, we thank you for the love you give us each day when light follows darkness so we can see the wonders of your creation in the grasses and trees all around us, for the birds and other wild creatures that share this world with us, for the food you provide each day.  Help us remember to say thanks and try to love as you have commanded us. Amen

Thought for the Day - Wednesday 17 February

Thought for the day Wednesday February 17th 2021   Romans 8:35 (New Living Translation)   Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?   I checked the reading for today around 6am and it was from the book of Proverbs about planning.  I took my dog for a walk and sat down at my computer at 11.30am with a whole lot of things to write about planning then found the daily reading had changed to something that didn’t have anything to do with planning – a blank canvas!!!  So much for planning!   It’s interesting that today’s verse involves the apostle Paul posing a question.  There are lots of questions doing the rounds at the moment e.g when will we be able to book a holiday, when will we be able to enjoy the company of friends and relatives, when will I get my Covid injection (I’m getting my first one today), when will churches reopen, when will the children get back to school, when will we be able to go to a restaurant?  I could go on, so many questions with most not having any immediate answer.   Fortunately, we don’t have long to wait before Paul does provide us with an answer to his question if we read on in the chapter to verses 37 and 38.  He writes: ‘No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love.  Death can’t, and life can’t.  The angels can’t, and the demons can’t.  Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.  Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord’.   It’s frustrating that so many questions we have, largely due to the impact the current pandemic is having on our lives, have no immediate answers, but God has never said we won’t have trials in this life.  What he guarantees is that He will love us during the difficult as well as the good times and that victory will ultimately be ours through our believing in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.  Perhaps this was where the 16th century proverb ‘all things come to those who wait’ originated.   Prayer. Heavenly Father, Help us this day to realise that although we are facing difficult and unusual times at present, your love remains with us unconditionally.  Many of our ancestors have faced so much worse than what we are facing just now.  Help us to remember this and realise that difficult times in our lives will arise but they will also pass.  Help us also to remember that as Paul assures us, victory will eventually be ours through our faith in Christ Jesus.   Amen  

Thought for the Day - Monday 15 February

1 John 4:10 (New Living Translation) This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Rather than search for readings from the bible that I am familiar with, I prefer to go to a website called bible gateway that provides a daily scripture reading.  This has led me to parts of scripture that I may not usually visit.  This site also lets you read passages from different versions of the bible and I c   Today’s reading is most appropriate following hard on the heels of Valentine’s day and the many and varied demonstrations of love that took place yesterday.  Along with Christmas and Easter, it has become much more commercial with a whole lot of companies happy to take your money and provide the cards, flowers, chocolate, champagne, balloons or whatever it takes to show love towards a special person in your life. In today’s reading, John talks of ‘real love’ and this is the love that God showed to us by sending his only Son into the world and offering Him as a sacrifice to take away our sins. This is not the romantic love that was celebrated by us yesterday but somethingWe can show thankfulness to God by loving one another just as Jesus told us to and also demonstrate God’s love in us through our actions in our daily life and in our interactions with others. is the love that God showed to us by sending his only Son into the world and offering Him as a sacrifice to take away our sins. This is not the romantic love that was celebrated by us yesterday but something so much deeper. today's reading, John talks of 're We can show thankfulness to God by loving one another just as Jesus told us to and also demonstrate God’s love in us through our actions in our daily life and in our interactions with others. Prayer. Heavenly Father, Help us this day to understand love just a little bit more, from the love that we have for our partners, our children, our parents and friends to the love God has for us and for sending his only son to live his life as an example to mankind for all time and to offer us life everlasting through belief in Him and in his death and resurrection.   Amen   

Thought - wednesday 27 January

Thought for Wednesday 27th January 2021   Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds,   The hard times we have been having in this pandemic have caused division among people. Between those who wear masks and those who refuse, those who keep their distance and those who won’t, even those who believe the disease is real and those who don’t. Everyone has an opinion, and in their mind, they are all right. This made me think about the divisions and differences in religion. Without going into the different religions in the world, (I don’t know enough about any of them) even Christianity has so many denominations. Who can really know everything about each of them? How can we tell each other that their way is wrong and ours is right? Does it matter, as long as we are all following Christ and His teaching without deviating from the truth that Jesus IS the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to The Father?! Being a different denomination of Christianity is not a different religion so why are  there so many arguments and fights about how we worship our Lord? This is Holocaust Memorial Day. What a tragic reminder of what division can do. When we let evil divide us this is what can happen! At this time, we should be helping each other to cope with the effects of this dreadful disease by showing love and compassion to our neighbours.   Prayer Lord of all, be with each one of us as we attempt to understand and cope with this pandemic. Help us to see people instead of their belief or unbelief, to assist them in any way we are able. Without asking which church they belong to or even which religion they follow. Help us to treat everyone as Your brother or sister to ensure that another Holocaust does not happen.  Amen  

Watchnight Service

A link to join the Watchnight Service tonight is below. The virtual doors will open at 11.15 as Caryl has had a few requests for Community Carols.  The service will commence at 11.30 pm. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84435338670?pwd=UHZTWTI5MjdnbGQ2c0ZhTzdBa0R3dz09 Wishing you all a lovely Christmas.

Thought for the Day - Wednesday 23 December

Message from Rev Caryl Kyle Minister: Holytown l/w Wrangholm Parish Churches Advent Angel on the Shelf – Wednesday 23rd December ‘Let’s thank God for his priceless gift!’ (2 Corinthians 9: 15)   Action:   Make a real effort today to say ‘Thank You’ to those around you and those who help you.     Pray:   Pray for a grateful, thankful heart.    The Christmas Mystery:   Don’t forget to listen to the next instalment of The Christmas Mystery – The Twenty-Third of December   And two more very important people appear!   The Facebook Series link is:    https://www.facebook.com/watch/langreyfriars/659185208297671/    And the YouTube playlist can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19FXxH-mcDw&list=PL0mcNfdN7oeFyR-0peKdS-8Jnrw9v1czf   Once in Facebook click on the link and it should take you straight there!