Centre of Hope Victory Church

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Mar.9 /10

 
 Ploughing

Jesus makes an interesting statement in Luke 9:62.  “ And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (KJV)  It gives us very clear insight into how Jesus wants us to live.
Ploughs in Bible times were very different than the ones used today.  Today’s ploughs are pulled by powerful tractors and have many blades and can turn a great amount of land at one time.  Ploughs in Bible times had only one blade and were pulled by either one or two animals.
My understanding of those ploughs is that the animals would stand and wait until the operator took hold of the plough and tilt it into position.  It is then the animals would begin to pull.  Once the plough began to move it would be necessary for the farmer to keep his eyes to the front and not look back, to make sure the animal and plough go in a straight line.  
Jesus is giving us similar advice.  Once we take hold of the plough, the Christian life, we cannot look back to our former life.  Following Christ is a commitment for life.  One that necessitates keeping our eyes forward as one using a plough.

Mar. 23 /10

Default Programme
 
All computers have ‘default programmes’.  These are programmes that the computer will go to automatically to do certain tasks.  If you want to play a CD in your computer, there will be a programme that your computer will automatically open to play the disc.  Sometimes these are preselected when you buy the computer and at other times you can download a new programme and make it the default programme.  They are useful because they save you the trouble of choosing, looking for and then opening the programme, it is all done automatically.
In our daily lives we also have ‘default programmes’.  If we have a financial problem surface in our lives, there is a place or an attitude to which we will automatically turn.  When we become ill there is a place to which our minds will wander.  When someone treats us poorly, there is an attitude to which we will default.
Where is your default programme?  It should be in God.  He is the place to which we should automatically turn in times of hardship or trouble.  In Matthew 11:28, Jesus guides us to our default programme.  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (KJV)


Mar. 31 /10

Shoe Horns
 
The other day I went to the store to buy a shoe horn.  When I got home I discovered there were two in the package.  It appears they are sold in pairs, the same as shoes.  I almost returned them.  They were not labeled and I didn’t know which one was for the right shoe and which one for the left.  Then my wife explained to me the intricacies of shoe horn technology.  It’s a good thing men like me have wonderful, intelligent wives to explain the complexities of life that keep us from embarrassment.
There are many times in life where we need instruction or clarification.  We can turn to instruction manuals or to good friends for advice.  Often they are able to help, but to where do we turn when their help is inadequate.  Easy, we turn to the one instruction manual, the Bible, and to the one good friend, Jesus.  Between these two we will find all the help we need.
There is an old hymn that begins, “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!”  Between prayer and the Bible we should be able to find all the instruction and comfort that we will ever need.