January 2012
Gen 2:21-23 tells us of the creation of Eve. God had created the universe, the heavens He had also created the world, Adam and populated the world with animals and plants. Now He needed to create a partner (a help meet) for Adam. He put Adam into a deep sleep and from Adam’s genetic material created the woman Eve. He manipulated Adam’s chromosomes to produce a female human being. From nothing God created the whole genetic material that makes up all life on this planet. His alone is the power to create!
Be blessed,
Bruce
March 2012
The first sentence of the Book of Genesis is, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The first two chapters of this book contain the story of Creation. Between Genesis and Revelation is the story of the relationship between God and His Creation. It tells of Man’s rebellion, and God’s plan and work to redeem and save mankind according to His original purpose.
“In the end” God will establish His kingdom and rule over all creation. He will create a new heaven and earth where evil and sin will have no place. Where His son Jesus; our Lord and Saviour, will reign in perfect goodness and love. Let us long for and look for Jesus’ return and all that is good that comes from God.
Amen.
Be blessed,
Bruce
April 2012
To a weary traveller on the road, a light in the distance is a promise of shelter, food and warmth. A beam of light from a lighthouse to a sailor at sea, can be a warning of dangerous waters ahead, rocks that he must steer clear of.
The light of God’s Son Jesus is both. It beckons us to our safe haven in His love and shows us where the rocks of temptation are which would pull us off course on our journey to salvation in His love. God’s word and the life and sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross show us and equip us to overcome the struggles of this life. Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Be blessed
Bruce
May 2012
Have you ever tried looking for something; you have a good picture in your mind of what it looks like and where it should be. But you can’t find it. This has happened to me and each time it happens, it is only when I get rid of the internalised picture in my mind, that I am able to find it when my ideas and expectations are not interfering with my view of reality.
Many of us have ideas of the nature of God and Jesus character, that we cannot perceive Him as He really is. The perception of God’s character has been passed down through generations and even our own experiences of family, employers and friends can distort our perception of God and His Son Jesus. It is necessary for us to rid ourselves of all preconceived and wrong notions of who God and Jesus are, before we are able to find Him and know Him as He truly is. Matt. 7:7b
“Seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you.”
Be blessed,
Bruce
June 2012
It seems like only a few days ago that the ground was white with snow and the trees bare of leaves, the days were short and the nights long and dark. Today as I look around, the grass has grown and the young leaves on the trees are a wonderful mixture of different shades of green. Birds have returned and fill the air with their singing. The earth has woken up after its winter sleep.
How much more will we and the earth and all creation rejoice and glorify the Lord Jesus when He returns in glory and establishes His kingdom on earth. When He ascended into heaven He promised He would return. Only God the Father knows the day and time of His return. Just as life has returned to the earth with the coming of summer, let us look forward to His return with eager anticipation and break forth into praise. Rev. 21 – 22
Be blessed,
Bruce
July 2012
Summer nights are long and light in Finland and it is a time when people make the most of the sunshine and the light while it lasts. There is one Light that lasts forever, that is the Light of God, which He imparts to those who believe in Him and in Jesus His Son. This light should shine out from us for all to see, not by our own efforts but the life that is in us by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” Matt- 5: 16.
Don’t let the Light go out!
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Bruce
August 2012
Perhaps, like many, you have been watching the Olympic Games. It’s hard to miss it! Sport has been part of human societies for thousands of years. Those who take part spend many hours each week training in order to be fit and ready for competition. Sport’s origins lie in military preparation for battle.
As Christians we are engaged in spiritual battles on a daily basis and yet I would hazard to suggest that few take the time and effort to train ourselves spiritually for this battle against the forces of evil. Eph 6: 10 – 17 speaks of the Armour of God, which we are to put on, but not passively. Verse 18 of this chapter exhorts us “to pray with all prayer and supplication in the spirit….” Christian should train through prayer and reading the Bible and through meditating on the scriptures to understand its meaning deep within our Spirits, putting it into action in our daily lives.
Be blessed
Bruce
October 2012
A lot has been written over the years of splits and divisions in various Christian churches and congregations. recently I was asked to pray for a couple who were having difficulties with their own congregations. As the “End Times” draw ever closer we will see the things Jesus warned about becoming more and more common; schisms, false teaching and prophecies, leadership that is exercised by manipulation and control for reasons of self promotion and desires for Power. In Luke 11: 17-18, Jesus tells us that an organsation divided against itself can not stand. It is imperative that Christians seek the Lord in how they interpret the Gospel, treat each other and those who are not of the Christian faith.
Be blessed.
Bruce
November 2012
Ex 23:9 “for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Cultural differences become clearer when someone moves to live in another country. Apart from language differences, there are differences in the way people think, act and react with each other. Jesus came from a totally different culture; the culture of perfect love. He came to show us the way in which mankind can live in peace and harmony with each other and with their Father in heaven. His teachings and the example of the way He lived on Earth is available to us through reading and studying the Bible.
Be blessed. Bruce
December 2012
According to Alfred Edersheim ( a Jew who became an ordained Christian) the shepherds, who went to view the newborn Christ child, would have been the only shepherds who stayed out all night with their flocks all year round. Why were they the only ones to do that? The reason is that they would have been tending the Temple Flocks from which the sacrificial rams were selected. Once a year a perfect ram was selected by these shepherds to be sacrificed for the sins of the people. Who better qualified to see Jesus, the sacrificial Son of God, whose birth we celebrate each December.
Be blessed.
Bruce