<![CDATA[]]> https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/ EN Thu, 12 Dec 2024 13:41:00 +0100 Incomedia WebSite X5 Pro <![CDATA[Free Gift!]]> imblog
It’s nearly Christmas! Have you bought all your presents yet? If not, a quick search around the internet reveals some quirky gifts that will astound your friends - astounded maybe that you actually paid money for something like these: an electronic yodelling cucumber, an umbrella for your dog or a flame-throwing wristband, and many other unusual items.

Of course Christmas is about more than giving and receiving presents. The materialistic side of Christmas is far from what Christmas is really all about. Yet Christmas is about receiving one very special present - the most important present ever, the gift of God Himself! Jesus is God’s gift to us. He left Heaven 2,000 years ago for a stable in Bethlehem to reveal God the Father to us, and to give His life 33 years later on a cross to pay for the wrong things we have done. He then rose from the dead, proving He has power even over death. And this Christmas Jesus offers Himself afresh to each one of us, so that, if we receive Him, we too can know forgiveness and new life.

Something I love about this season is that following Christmas Day and Boxing Day, there is New Year, a new start in many ways; fresh opportunities to succeed where I may have failed the year before; opportunities to try new things, meet new people, and do things differently. The trouble is that unless I change, the year ahead is likely to be just like the previous one or worse.

It’s only when we recognise that we ourselves need to change, that we will ever understand our need for Jesus. He is the only One who can  wipe our slate clean and give us a brand new start. Listen to what the Bible says:
“Jesus personally carried our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for what is right.” (1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24)
“Change your mind then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts chapter 3 verse 19)

So how do we receive Jesus? We simply speak to Him, wherever we are - He’s always listening - and admit that we’ve lived our life without Him, going our own way, and ask Him for His forgiveness. Don’t worry, He already knows all about you and still loves you! Then decide that from now on you’re going to put Him first in your life. Read about Jesus in the New Testament, and talk to Him every day. Also find a good local church that’s friendly and believes the Bible. They will help you to learn more.

Have a wonderful Christmas, and may the New Year become for you a new start with Jesus!

]]> Thu, 12 Dec 2024 12:41:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?free-gift- https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/00000000B <![CDATA[Believe in Tomorrow]]> imblog
Audrey Hepburn once said: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” In 2021 the Royal Horticultural Society opened their latest garden, ‘RHS Bridgewater’, in Worsley, in North-West England. The masterplan was designed by world-renowned, landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith. Today there are colourful flowers and beautiful plants and shrubs, where once there was mud and dereliction, but the younger trees will of course take years to reach maturity. Like all gardens it was planted with an eye to the future.

I wonder if we, like the best garden designers, have that same foresight? Do we plan ahead? I came across the following question some years ago: “What will you do after your retirement?” Notice, the question is not during your retirement, but after. Some people may be fortunate enough to save for their later years, but how many are wise enough to ensure a better life after your retirement is over. As author Con Campbell wrote:

“The problem is we’re not accustomed to making decisions based on eternity. We’re impatient. We’d rather settle for junk today than wait for treasure tomorrow.”
from “New Life” by Con Campbell (Our Daily Bread).

Con also describes how, in His love for us, our Creator has prepared “an inheritance that is glorious, beautiful, and eternal.” Yet unlike a pension, our place in eternity cannot be earned. We don’t gain eternal life by saving up a lifetime of good deeds and hoping for the best. Instead the ancient scriptures say:

“The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift—eternal life through our Lord Jesus, ... the Liberating King.”
Romans 6:23 (VOICE)

God’s free gift of forgiveness and eternal life is on offer to all those who recognise they don’t deserve it. It was Jesus who paid the price for us to enjoy a secure future after retirement, which He did when He died in our place on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago; paying for our wrongdoing and offering each one of us a completely new start.

Like planting a garden, to put our trust in Jesus and in what He has done for us is ‘to believe in tomorrow’. It’s only after our retirement years, that we will experience the full beauty, maturity and freedom that our hearts long for. But before then, we can enjoy God’s overflowing love and care in this world, when we invite Jesus into the driving seat of our life today.

]]> Thu, 25 Jan 2024 11:05:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?believe-in-tomorrow https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/000000009 <![CDATA[A New You?]]> imblog
Already, we’re ten days into the first month of 2024; Christmas has gone, next stop: Valentine’s Day. As the saying goes, “Time waits for no man!” I always look forward to the start of a new year. For me it’s a fresh start, and a new opportunity to enjoy the freshness of spring, the summer warmth and the colours of autumn. (Of course, we can’t ignore the fact that the world faces an uncertain future at the moment, but on a personal level new year can be a time to look ahead with a fresh sense of purpose.)

But maybe instead, we’re looking back at our past failures and mistakes, and despair of ever seeing a real change in who we are or in the circumstances around us. In the BBC TV series, ‘The Repair Shop’, three or four beloved items are brought into the workshop by their owners, each in a state of disrepair - i.e. the items, not the owners! Often the task of restoration seems immense, but at the end of the programme, the owner is presented with their object looking brand new and in full working order, just as they remember it!

On one occasion a lady brought in an early Victorian portrait of a young Frenchman, which was, in her own words, "fit for the bin". It was so dirty that you could barely make out the face; the canvas was torn in several places, and the frame was missing. When the work had been completed however, the result was astonishing - it was as if the painting had come alive! The man’s face glowed with life, his grey eyes gazing out of the painting. The holes in the canvas had disappeared, and the whole portrait was surrounded by an elegant gold frame. On her return to the workshop to collect the painting, it was as if the lady received her ancestor, because that’s who he was, back from the dead.

That’s all very well for inanimate objects, but how do you fix who you are? Maybe there is someone reading this post today, who regrets the past and yearns for a new start in life, even for a whole new you? There is really only one person, who can make us new on the inside, who can wash away the past and give us a whole new start, and that is Jesus. Nothing and no one else can do it; not religion, not good works, not philosophy; only Jesus. Listen to His words:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart.”
Ezekiel 36:25-26

“Thank you God for today, a day of new beginnings and a fresh start. I no longer hold onto my past, I give it to you. Please come into my life; wash me clean, forgive me and make me new.”

To find out more about starting life afresh with Jesus, go to our Transformation page.

]]> Wed, 10 Jan 2024 16:21:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?a-new-you- https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/000000008 <![CDATA[Made For Another World]]> imblog
“Make yourself at home,” we often say to visiting friends and family, but do you really feel at home on planet Earth? Or is there a sense that something's missing? The day after we've climbed the highest peak, bought the most expensive shoes or eaten the biggest burger are we truly satisfied? I guess for many the answer is "No!" In his book ‘Mere Christianity’, C. S. Lewis wrote this:

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

David H. Roper explains: “It’s an instinct for God that has been implanted in us. ... Beneath all our longings is a deep desire for God. We don’t know that, of course. We only know that we long for something. “You don’t know what it is you want,” Mark Twain said, “but you want it so much you could almost die.” God is our heart’s true home. As church father Augustine said in that most famous quotation: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”“

Author and speaker Simon Ponsonby, recently made the statement that as Twenty-First Century individuals, ‘we dismiss God, only to miss Him.’ In other words, we turn our backs on our Creator, thinking that we’ll gain freedom. Instead we lose our purpose, our joy and our security, and most of all, deep within us we feel a spiritual emptiness that remains unsatisfied. We may try to fill that void by drinking more alcohol, smoking more weed or by buying more ‘stuff’; we may try yoga or mindfulness, but still the problem remains.

Over 2,000 years ago an ancient musician put it this way:

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God.”
Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)

So how do we satisfy that inner longing? If you truly want to fill that void, the answer is a simple one. Allow Jesus to have first place in your life; invite Him in, and make that decision to follow Him. Find a quiet place and tell Him how you feel; be honest with Him. He wants to know what’s on your heart, and He’s waiting to be invited into your life.

He has made us for another world - His world; a place where our spiritual thirst will be quenched, our hunger will be satisfied, and all our questions will be answered. The door to that world is open. Will you walk through it?


]]> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 16:47:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?made-for-another-world https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/000000007 <![CDATA[Focus]]> imblog
In 2017 the bomb squad blew up an unattended Vauxhall Corsa, parked outside Workington Police station. Following the controlled explosion, Cumbria Police apologised to the owner, who had earlier been taken ill. As a result of the man’s illness - and presumably his inability to drive - officers on duty had parked the car outside the Police station. Other officers had not been told about the car, and regarded its presence as suspicious. So they called in the bomb squad!

Inspector Ashley Bennett said: "The officers who dealt with this morning's incident did so with public safety in mind and followed the appropriate procedures in respect to an unoccupied, suspicious vehicle.” The force blamed "an internal communications error."

Clear communication is important. Communication problems sometimes occur when we don’t focus properly on the person who’s trying to communicate with us. (Ever tried having a serious conversation with someone who’s trying to check Facebook?) It’s the same with prayer. It is possible to pray while driving or cooking or showering, and better then than not at all, but to really communicate with our Creator, we need to take time out and be still, shutting out the rest of the world and focusing solely on Him.

Jesus once visited the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. When He arrived He sat down to speak to all those who had gathered, including Martha’s sister Mary, who sat at His feet. She was more interested in hearing what Jesus had to say than in helping her sister, who was busy serving everyone. Martha was upset with her “lazy” sister, but Jesus, who normally commends those who are servant-hearted, said to Martha, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NLT). Mary had chosen to focus on Jesus. Martha’s serving was important, but not as important as listening to what Jesus had to say.

The world around us focuses on ‘self’: our feelings, our possessions, our rights etc, and encourages us to look within ourselves to find the answers to our needs. Yet the Hebrew scriptures remind us that,“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIVUK) Growing spiritually is far more valuable than anything that we allow to get in the way of our relationship with God. So how important it is to find a quiet space, where we can rest quietly and focus on the Life-Giver, our Creator and Friend. Listen for His voice, and let His peace enfold you as you welcome Him into your inner being.

Deep and lasting peace comes when we  turn from ‘self’, put Jesus first and receive the love and forgiveness that He offers.

Read more ...
]]> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 14:12:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?focus https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/000000006 <![CDATA[The Price Is Paid]]> imblog
Imagine a shoplifter being caught in a department store. He is held there until the police arrive. The police officer then pays for the stolen goods, and gives them back to the shoplifter at the police station!

That’s exactly what happened to a young man attempting to steal clothes in a Walmart store in Toronto. thestar.com reported that the eighteen year old had stolen a  dress shirt, tie and socks. Police officer, Niran Jeyanesan, realised that there was more to this case, and began to question him about why he wanted the clothes. The young man reluctantly explained that his father was ill and couldn’t work. So he himself had decided to find a job to help his family. He’d even been offered an interview, but needed clothes to go in.

“He was very remorseful, very ashamed,” said Jeyanesan. “I could see that this is truly a mistake and this person wanted a chance at life.” So he paid for the shirt and tie himself before taking the young man to the police station, where they decided not to charge him. He was given the clothes, which he wore for the interview, and got the job!

“It was a case that allowed us to use our discretion. You could truly see that this person was trying to do something with his life,” Jeyanesan said, “This is a chance where we get to do something good. We all make mistakes and someone, at some point, gives us a second chance.”

By his actions, police officer, Niran Jeyanesan, showed us what our Creator is like. For our part, maybe we, like the shoplifter, have regrets, things on our conscience, times when we could have behaved differently, less selfishly, more decently or honestly perhaps, and yet God comes to us offering forgiveness, acceptance and love no matter who we are and no matter what we’ve done.

All this is possible because Jesus, like the police officer, has paid the cost of the forgiveness that we don’t deserve. Out of His love for us, Jesus willingly went to the cross 2,000 years ago. We often think of a cross as an item of jewellery, but it was actually the place where Jesus took the weight of all of our wrongdoing - yours and mine - and paid the ultimate price by dying in our place. Through His death, Jesus took away the barrier between ourselves and our Creator. Consequently, we can come to Him in prayer and thank Him for His amazing gift, admitting we've gone our own way for too long, and making that decision to follow Him. The way to God is open to all who receive the new life that Jesus offers. As the lyrics to this song by Graham Kendrick tell us:

"The price is paid,
Come let us enter in
To all that Jesus died
To make our own.
More than enough He gave,
And bought our freedom
From each guilty stain."

]]> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 13:58:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?the-price-is-paid https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/000000005 <![CDATA[Is This All There Is?]]> imblog
“Is this all there is?” said the middle-aged man, arms outstretched, gazing at the world around him. He was only a few yards away, and his question was obviously directed at me and my friend.

“Well, no. Actually there’s ...” I was about to share with him the wonders of knowing that we’re loved, accepted and forgiven by the Creator of the Universe, when he explained that he lived on the far side of the city, and being bored one day, he’d asked a friend to suggest somewhere more inspiring that he could visit.  So, he’d travelled for an hour and a half by tram to see the town centre suggested by his friend, who obviously hadn’t been to this side of the city for many years. All he could see were pubs, churches, a bus station and a decaying shopping mall with many empty shops and a few that were somehow managing to survive. What a disappointment!

Life is like that for many people. Just like that man, when searching for hope, self-worth and meaning in life, we often look in the wrong places; we follow the crowd, but inside we feel empty.

The good news is that whoever we are, we are loved by God. He has a purpose for us, and His desire is for us to know Him and to live a fulfilled life, both now and throughout eternity. Jesus made this possible 2,000 years ago by dying in my place and yours on a Roman cross, paying the price for our wrongdoing. Rising from the dead three days later, he proved that life after death is available for all who will receive His forgiveness and give Him first place in their lives. Jesus said:

“I came to give life—life in all its fullness.”
John 10:10 (NCV)

Why not thank God for His love for you, for supporting you as you journey through this troubled world, and for sending Jesus to take away all that separates you from Him?

“The Lord your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful about you.”
Zephaniah 3:17 (NCV)
]]> Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:03:00 GMT https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/?is-this-all-there-is- https://nicholas-s.websitex5.me/blog/rss/000000004