Elaine Campbell

 'Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is' (Mark 13:33). We know not the hour that Jesus will appear, but we do know He is coming back and is even at the door. Jesus said, "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father"  (Mark 13:32). He then continued to say in verse 33, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." There are signs all around that foretell that the time is nearing, but we can't know when Christ will definitely return. Let us not put all our energy, time and effort in determining when He will come; instead let us be attentive and ready for His return. It was never God's intention for any of us to perish, but is, His desire for all to come to repentance and gain eternal life. If God is so desirous of saving us, why are we bent on destroying ourselves? Let us not waste time on the things of the world, or concentrate on the

 'God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him' (Psalm 67:7). We are all God's creation and we have a duty to serve and to obey Him. We joy in the Lord when we do his will and fear him when we recognised his Sovereignty and power. We ought to be in awe of His greatness and power and reverence Him. When we share God's heart and vision for the world, we shall be blessed. God's heart and plan are for all the ends of the earth. When we become co- labourer with God, on doing his work, all the earth shall fear him and give him the respect, honour, glory and praise, he is worthy of. The world is in turmoil and is hurting, we need to help them see God as a  loving and merciful Father who is still in control. God will indeed bless us! We can use that blessings to pray for and reach out to others, and as we align our hearts an will, with the heart and will of God we are even more blessed. God is merciful and will cause His face to shine on us so we may kno

 'And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God' (Jeremiah 30:22). Israel had backslided and followed after other gods throughout the history of their nation, but God has never given up on them. When they disobeyed and rejected Him, he chastened and punished them and allow them so many times to be captives of the heathen nations around. But our God is a loving, merciful, and longsuffering God; and when His people cried out to him, he heard and responded to their cries - their fears and tremblings. When they feared and worshipped God and returned to him, he restored and bring healing to them and grant them peace. As spiritual Israel we tend to fall in the footsteps of Israel in many ways. We turn our backs on God; disobey his commands and commit idolatry. When we do these things that displeases God, he will allow afflictions, pain, sufferings, tribulations and distress to come upon us. However, as He did to Israel of old, he will  do for us when we turn from worshipping idol

 'If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and  if he be thirsty, give him water to drink' (Proverbs 24:21). We are told in the Bible to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might. That we should teach the commands of God to our children, when we sit in our houses, walk by the way, when we lie down and when we rise up (Deuteronomy 6:5,7). We do not know how to love, except God place his love in our hearts. It is because God loves us first and place it within us that we are able to love him and each other. It's not just about loving our families and friends who are in our circle, but it's about loving as God loves and commands us to do. God loves us so much that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus even went a step further to say, it has been said, "Thou shalt love your neighbour, and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them th

 'For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole' (Matthew 9:21). Jesus while on earth, did a lot of of miracles. He healed the sick, restore sight to the blind; speech to the dumb and hearing to the deaf. He cast out demons, cleansed the lepers and raised the dead among other things. People followed Him wherever he went, they were like sheep without a shepherd and Jesus was filled with compassion for them. All who come in personal contact with Jesus cannot be the same again. Jesus was approached by Jarius, the ruler of the synagogue to heal his daughter who was dying. However, as he make way to follow Jarius, a miracle happened. A woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years, hearing about Jesus and wanted to be healed, came up behind him and touched the hem of his garment and was immediately healed. (See Matthew 9:18-20). She thought to herself that if she could just touch his garment, she would be healed. This woman was deemed  unclean  and

 'Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us, he hath smitten, and he will bind us up' (Hosea 6:1). Amos the prophet was speaking to the people of Israel because of their apostasy and idolatrous living, as God had pronounced severe judgement upon them. God said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..."(Hosea 4:6). What are we doing in our lives, that will make God reject us? God is longsuffering and gracious. He knew one day he would return to Israel with his arms open, because of his love for them. But they would first have to endure the pain and suffering and come to acknowledge and accept Jesus as Lord. Hosea could rejoice with Israel, that there was hope for them. One day God would return and revive them, and pour out His blessings on them. When we see how longsuffering and gracious God had been with backsliding Israel, we take comfort and have hope. We too h

 'But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us' (Ephesians 2:4). We can never fathom the depth of God's love for us. His love is infinite and we are finite. Every since man fall, God has given every evidence of His love and care; and we often fail to recognise His divine hand in our manifold blessings. God has endowed upon us everything we need to add comfort and happiness to our lives, because of His great love for us. When we accept God's precious gift of salvation - Jesus Christ, His Son, we have the privilege to become His children and be apart of His royal family. For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). Without Christ we can do nothing, but through faith in Him, we  have the privilege to accept God's gift of salvation. When we become born- again believers, it means we accept Christ and his atoning sacrifice for our sins, wh

 'Blessed is every one that  feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways' (Psalm 128:1). God's Word declares, that when we fear the Lord and walk in his ways, we will be bless. In order to fear the Lord, we must learn to reverence and be obedient to Him, and this will result in spiritual and physical blessings. In our life's journey we need to trust in God - to have faith and patience to endure all the atrocities life will throw at us; and as we seek spiritual maturity. Our God is loving, patient, and merciful. He doesn't exclude anyone from his blessings; He said, "Blessed is every one who feareth the Lord..." therefore each one of us is bless when we fear the Lord, firstly; and secondly, when we walk in His ways. It is down to us to choose the right path. Jesus did fear His Father and walked in His way while he was on earth; why shouldn't we then follow the footsteps of Jesus? It is important that we take this step in life, to fear God and walk in his

 'Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13). Every believer's hope is built on the righteousness of Jesus, our Rock. Without His death and resurrection, there would be no hope in this world and no entrance in the heavenly courts of God, or eternity with Him. We would all be lost forever! Christ our High Priest is in heaven, in the Most Holy place interceding on our behalf as He judges the world. One day He will burst the clouds of heaven and make his glorious appearing, to take His faithful people awaiting the blessed hope of his returning. Let us wait  patiently for Jesus's return by faith, amidst our trials, tribulations, afflictions and persecutions. Christ will reward us for our obedience and faithfulness when he comes. What a glorious day that will be when Jesus appears for the righteous believers, to take them from this wretched, miserable and ghastly world, to spend eternity with him. We

 'Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable' (Psalm 145:3). When we think about God and all he has done for us sinners, even though we don't deserve nothing from him, it behoves us to exalt His name and worship him. Why? Because He is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. He is Sovereign and has power over every thing he has created. David exalt the Lord Most High, focusing on His attributes and greatness, declares that the Lord is great; the Lord  is greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. We are called today, to give praise and worship the God of heaven and earth, even amidst life's difficulties and to lift up our hearts and give total praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we feel discouraged and our weary souls need refreshing, let us turn to God and acknowledge his greatness and as the One who can heal and refresh our weary souls. Many of us face daily challenges and may have difficult decisions to

 'Who is he that over cometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God' (1 John 5:5). When we put our trust on Jesus and have a saving relationship with him, we are born of God. Anyone who don't believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God is not born of God. All those who are born of God must believe by faith that Jesus is the Son of God, in order to be overcomers. This abiding faith and trust in Jesus is the life that overcomes all the temptations and tribulations, we face in this world. Simply put, John is saying, we overcome because of who we are in Christ and believing He is the Son of God for us. It was Jesus who overcame the world making it possible for us to do the same as we abide in Him. One song writer penned it this way, "Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory! O, glorious victory, that overcomes the world. This faith we seek comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. We hear God speaking to us through His holy word; when

 'Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God' (2 Corinthians 1:4). There are many people suffering as a result of affliction, sickness and even traumatic experiences. They are troubled from side to side and  become overwhelmed by these experiences. Some do not know what to do or who to turn to and experience hopelessness; while others who trust in the living God, find comfort in him. You need to understand that whatever you're going through, God is not immune to your situation. He promised to be there with you when you go through tribulations and afflictions; your sickness and bereavement. He is the Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort. We need to trust God! When we trust Him and have confidence in His ability to help us through our storms of afflictions, He will comfort us. He loves each one of us, and wants us to be in good health - physicall

 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me' (John 10:27). Jesus, the Son of God came down to earth to save us and to give us eternal life. He, our Good Shepherd, laid down his life for us because he loves us so much. But it is only those who believe on Him by faith, that He is the Son of God, will have the privilege to inherit eternal life and to reign with him for ever. He is the way, the door that leads us to the Father; Just step right in, Jesus is waiting. He is the Good Shepherd that gives his life for his sheep and is the door of his sheep. He is calling and inviting all who are listening and would like to enter through this door and be saved. Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine" (John 10:14). When we refuse to listen to Jesus and reject his call, we are separating ourselves from his flock. In other words, we are refusing salvation, which is a free gift to us. The Jews did not believe in him as the Mess

 'He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy' (Proverbs 28:13). Every person on this planet, earth was born in sin. This we inherited from Adam and Eve after the fall. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. But how we handle our sins make all the difference. The Word of God says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). However, if you keep your sins in your heart and hide them, you will not prosper. God will not hear your prayers if you regard iniquity in your heart (Psalm 66:18); and will turn His face against you (1 Peter 3:12). The wonderful thing about God is that he doesn't force us to do anything; In His love, he has give us the power of free will to choose. We can therefore choose to do good or evil, choose God or Satan. God counsels us to choose Him, which is life, but at the end of the day we

 'Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths' (Psalm 25:4). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). When we  fear the Lord, He will shew us his ways and teach us his paths, that we may choose aright. Life is  a journey; we can either choose to follow our own ways, which lead to hell and death or God's way that leads to heaven and eternal life.  We can also choose to follow our own path of sin or the path of God - righteousness. It is of uttermost importance that we learn to trust God. We must desist from leaning on our own understanding or trusting our own path, but follow God's way and allow Him to direct our steps. Proverbs 3:5-6 counsel us to, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path." We should at all times, trust in the Lord; in good times and in bad times. He will never let us down. When in distress, or in danger and we are t

 'Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord' (Acts 3 19). This message of repentance was initially for to the Nation of Israel - God's chosen people; calling them to repent and turn back to the God of their fathers, but most importantly, to believe in Jesus their promised Messiah. As a result their sins would be blotted out and the time of refreshing would finally come from the presence of the Lord. We can definitely learn a great deal from these messages from God and apply them to our lives, so we too may be forgiven and will be able to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. The theme of repentance is seen throughout Scripture; signifying it importance to mankind. It means we should acknowledge that our ways are wrong and that God's way is right. Jesus came to save us from our sins, but in order for us to be save, first, we must accept that our sins

 'Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God' (Hebrews 3:12). God is a loving God, who do not wish for any of us to perish, but to have eternal life. That's the reason He send His Son Jesus Christ to take that death we deserved as sinners, so we can have eternal life with Him. After Israel's deliverance from being captive in Egypt and through the Red Sea experience, they came right on the border of the Promised Land but lost their trust and confidence  in God. Due to their lack of confidence in Him, He allowed them to wander in the wilderness for forty years, and not seeing the promised land, except for Joshua and Caleb along with the younger generation, who didn't experience captivity in Egypt. We need to hold fast our faith in God, in every situation; whether it be through afflictions or persecutions, let us not lose faith. We ought to be thankful for Jesus Christ, and that as believers, we are save

 'To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, thou we have rebelled against him' (Daniel 9:9). It was in heaven that Lucifer (Satan) and his angels rebelled against God and his government, before being cast out of heaven. Our foreparents, Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent (Satan) to eat of the forbidden fruit God told them not to eat of. Their disobedience led to their fall and the entrance of sin. As a result all descendants of Adam had a sin problem, that only God could fix. So He came down to earth in the person of His Son Jesus, to die for us and restore us to Himself. We see God's people since the fall, been rebellious time and time again. Daniel seeing the rebellion of God's people could have complained, but instead he prayed and confessed on their behalf to God, saying, "To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, thou we have sinned against him." We too have sinned and rebell against God...and God is still merciful and forgiving.

 'He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked' (1 John 2:6). When we say we abide in God, we will seek to obey His Word, and keep His commandments, because we truly love him. Therefore, if we we claim to abide in God we should live our lives as Jesus did. Jesus is in the Father, and the Father in him, because they are one. Jesus came to save us and to show us the love of the Father. As believers, the more we abide in Christ, the more Christ will abide in us and the more we ought to walk as He walked. And in so doing we will produce spiritual fruit. Whilst Christ was on earth, He demonstrated his love and care for all; especially the poor, the afflicted, widowed, the fatherless, the sick and the outcast of society. He demonstrated the love of God for all mankind! For every believer that are born of God, they must truly seek to demonstrate a Christ-like behaviour. We must refrain from loving  the world and the things of the world. We are to live,

 'The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted' (Psalm 18:46). The true God of heaven, the Creator of the universe lives; there is none like Him. He can see, hear and speak to us unlike other gods. He can relate to, and understand what we are going through, as He came in the form of humanity and were touched by the pain, suffering and temptation we are going through, even though he had never sinned. He is a true and living God and the everlasting King. David had a relationship with God and worshipped Him in awe. He proclaimed Him as his rock and the God of his salvation, who is worthy of his praise. How is your relationship with the true and living God? Have you genuinely experienced His love and his power? The Lord is the same God of yesterday, who David believed in and exalted. He is same true and living God we worship today. It is through Jesus, the Son of God, that we can lift our hearts and voices to give praise to God. It is Christ w

 'Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us' (Psalm 62:8). God is our Rock and our Shelter in the time of storm. He is our salvation and our glory, we must seek to find refuge in him. We must trust him when we can see clearly and in times when shrouded in utter darkness. God truly deserves our confidence at all times, and we need to place our confidence in him; trusting him with all our hearts as we lean on His everlasting arm. God is always willing to hear from us, in fact, He is always seeking us out himself. We must therefore, trust him and   pour out our hearts before him; unburdened our soul to him; lay bare our hearts before him, because He is a refuge for us. Whenever you face difficulties, temptations, trials remember God is by your side. He is a present help in times of trouble. We do not know what lies ahead of us in 2021, but one thing we can be certain of, is who holds our future - our future is in God's hand. W