Tag: Jesus friend forever

Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. ” Romans 12:12

Father God,

I picked up my Bible to randomly read something. And started to read through Romans 12. It was heavy going Father, the exhortations to be the best we can be at all times. And then, there, right in the middle You put this little breather of a verse! Like a sauce rendered down to intense flavour. Lifting my tired eyes from the nitty gritty to see the sky, mountains, open spaces and vastness of Your love.

So too in the midst of life, every day, we need that pause, that glimpse of You, to get Your perspective. To look away from ourselves and look to You to be renewed. So we can rejoice in hope, while we pray and endure whatever else is going on with You. Hope forces us to look over our present circumstances to You. Not always easy! We have all heard of the person who found a £5 note on the pavement. They spent months looking down and found, buttons, sweet papers, dog you know what and 20p. And missed passing friends, blossoming gardens, blue skies, life.

Hope, not pie in the sky, but based on Your word and promises, causes us to rejoice and restores us. You leading us one day at a time! We look up to You, wonderful Saviour. because “hope does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5). Pour Your love and hope into our hearts today. Give us a glimpse of Your glory.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Suggestions for prayer . . .
Father God,

For our family and friends. Their hopes and needs for today and open their eyes to You.
For our church, Ministers, lay leaders, members. Be their friend and Lord and encouraging them.
For the royal family. Hope based on You for restoration of health..
For the new Police Commissioners and councillors to have Your wisdom and inspiration.
For Ukraine, we plead for peace. An end to war. May it be Your will.
For Gaza, a good future and further talks towards a peaceful way forward.
For Sudan, Myanmar, all places of conflict and Military oppression. Mercy and freedom.
For persecuted Christians, other believers they can trust.
For positive voices amidst all the negative. News of all the good things which happen daily.
For aid agencies and medical help in the midst of many countries turmoil. and danger.
For a day with contact with friends, to know You with us sharing the highs and lows of the day.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Worship Sunday 5th May 2024
In 1834, Edward Mote was Pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham West Sussex in the United Kingdom. He writes, “One morning it came into my mind as I went to labour, to write a hymn on the ‘Gracious Experience of a Christian.’ As I went up Holborn I had the chorus, ‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.’

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, his covenant, his blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne.

Lyrics: Edward Mote

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“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 NKJV.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15 ESV

Father God,

In Romans 5:10 You tell us we are no longer Your enemies and have moved diagonally opposite to be Your friends. The Psalmist tells us there is one friend way above all others – pointing to the One to come, Jesus? I believe so. Jesus called those who knew Him, His friends. Friends have been on my mind this week and these verses remind me where we learn about friendship. From Jesus. Where we experience true friendship that will endure all.

As the hymnist wrote, There is no shadow of turning with thee . . . As we learn to be friends and have friends we are secure in Yours. It is wonderful to have friends, but they cannot meet our every need. We cannot meet all theirs. We need Your intimate friendship Father, to learn what friendship should be.

It takes grace to be a good friend. It costs to be a good friend. We may have lots of friends but there are those we have learned we can trust and those we feel closer to. We thank You for them. Help us to know when someone needs a friend to lean on. And help us to share You, the best friend anyone could have. As with Lenny’s testimony (see under the worship lyrics below), we do not know who will take You up on Your friendship, so we simply need to offer it . . .

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Suggestions for prayer . . .
Father God,

For our family and friends. Their hopes and needs for today and to know You are available.
For our church, Ministers, lay leaders, members. Be the friend and Lord alongside them.
For the royal family. Friendship with You through their generations.
For the new Police Commissioners to have Your wisdom as they take over.
For Ukraine, we plead for peace. An end to war. May it be Your will.
For Gaza, a good future and talks towards a peaceful way forward.
For Sudan, Myanmar, all places of conflict and Military oppression. Easing of persecutions.
Provide persecuted Christians with friends they can trust.
For aid agencies and medical help in the midst of many countries turmoil. and danger.
For a day with contact with friends, to know You with us sharing the highs and lows of the day.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Saturday 4th May 2024
I love the song and the story of how Lenny LeBlanc came to know Jesus. Story below audio and lyrics.

There is none like You
No one else can touch my heart like You do
And I could search for all eternity, Lord
And find, there is none like You

Your mercy flows like a river so wide
And healing comes from Your hand
And suffering children are safe in Your arms
There is none like You
There is none like You, Lord

Lenny LeBlanc (1951 – ) thought he didn’t need religion. He had signed a contract with Capitol Records, enjoying one success after another. Pop music was his life.

Late one night, in 1981, a friend (a drug smuggler) phoned and told Lenny he had been saved. He asked Lenny, “Are you saved?” Lenny didn’t know what being “saved” meant. The friend sent him a Bible and asked him to read it. Two weeks later Lenny says, “I started crying out to God for forgiveness, and I became born again right there in my house.” Under contract to Capitol, his heart wasn’t into writing pop music. Finally, Capitol released him from the contract, and Lenny was free to write praise and worship songs for Jesus Christ. One day, as a tune and lyrics came to him, he began to cry. That song was the one above, There is none like You.

A few years later at a concert for 60,000 young people in Korea, Lenny planned to introduce this song. But they already knew it! He was humbled when they sang it in Korean, without his help.