Category Archives: Padkos

Food for Your Journey – Daily readings to inspire you during life’s journey

Padkos | /put-kaus
Plural noun: South African
1. Food/sustenance consumed during a journey.
Origin: Afrikaans, literally: road (pad) + food (kos)

PADKOS – 15 MAY

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GUIDANCE

John 16:13

The Spirit is come, He will guide you into all truth. KJV

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. NIV

Psalm 25:9

The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way. KJV

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. NIV

Psalm 32:8

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye. KJV

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you. NIV

Guidance has to do with Man’s NEED and God’s NATURE.

The PURPOSE God guides us is so that:

  • We might have the right So He guides us into all truth.
  • We might make the right So He guides us in judgment and teaches us His way.
  • We might reach the right So He guides us in the way we should go.

The REASON for God’s guidance is:

  • To teach us of our need and God’s sufficiency.
  • To keep faith fresh and expectancy alive.
  • To have fellowship with God.
  • To give living witness to the reality of God’s presence, provision and protection.

The PRINCIPLE of guidance is:

  • That we do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit.

The PRACTICE of guidance is that:

  • God has shown us what is good.
  • God has shown us what He requires.
  • We are to do what is honourable and right.
  • We are to love mercy.
  • We walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)

Living in today’s mixed up world without proper guidance would cause great concern to those who do not know the Saviour. If you have not given your heart and life to Him, may I urge you to do so sooner rather than later, because when you do you will find that God will:

  • Guide you into all truth.
  • Guide you in the decisions you have to make.
  • Teach you His ways.

What more could we ask for?

PADKOS – 20th APRIL

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PadkosTHE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT

Matthew 22:37-38

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. KJV

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. NIV

How many of us can say, hand on heart, that we have obeyed this commandment?

Did you know that there is a second great commandment which is connected to the first?

Matthew 22:39

Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself. KJV

Love your neighbour as yourself. NIV

I will take a stab here and say that this is one commandment that has not been obeyed in every corner of this world in which we live!
We have all rebelled against God.
We have all disobeyed His laws.
We have all been unable to fulfil the purpose for which God made us.
We have not loved God.
We have not loved our neighbour.
We need to receive Jesus as our Saviour and repent of our sins, and then and only then will we have the desire and power to obey these two commandments. They are two of the greatest commandments which include the greatest commitment.
If we are to obey there must be a commitment, without which we cannot obey.

PADKOS – 9 March

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PadkosA SPECIFIC PURPOSE

 

Matthew 9:36-37, 10:1

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.”

And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease. KJV

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” NIV

Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. NIV

I am convinced that the older I get the worse my memory becomes and the reason for telling you is, I thought I’d be clever and recite all the names of the 12 disciples before reading them in verse 2 of chapter 10, and to my surprise I could only remember the names of 11 of them. I used to be able to recite all the names having learned them as a child in school, but no amount of mental gymnastics and memory jogging would bring the name of Lebbaeus to my mind. I had completely forgotten about him, and yet he was one of the Apostles, so here are all the names, just in-case you too have forgotten them!

1.        Peter 2.      Andrew 3.      James
4.      John 5.      Philip 6.      Bartholomew
7.      Thomas 8.      Matthew 9.      James
10.    LEBBAEUS! 11.     Simon 12.    Judas

Our Saviour had great compassion on the crowds that followed Him everywhere and He realised that He needed to employ the services of the 12 disciples to help reach so great a number, so He called them together and gave them special powers to combat unclean spirits and cast them out of people and to heal all manner of sickness and disease. They were commanded to go only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. In other words, they were sent on a very special undertaking to reach the lost Jews of the House of Israel. They were told not to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. It was to be a special outreach to, what Jesus called, the lost sheep and to tell them first, that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The message to these lost sheep was that they should repent and accept Jesus the Christ as their Messiah.

If they refused there would be no excuse, because the proclamation regarding the Kingdom of Heaven, was to be made to them exclusively. The Kingdom had drawn very near in the very Person of the King Himself! and Israel must decide to accept Him or reject Him.

The Jews always prided themselves on knowing the prophecies of old as recorded in their own Scriptures and yet they were blinded by their unbelief to passage after passage and Scripture after Scripture telling them of the Saviour and of their coming King. It was as if they were play acting and pretending to err on the side of caution that they, like the Greeks, who required wisdom before they would believe, continually demanded a sign to prove things, and Jesus provided both by the shed load!

And yet they still did not believe, because what they got instead was not what they wanted or expected.

  • They wanted a King who would arrive with great pomp and ceremony, but they got a Man sitting on the back of an ass.
  • They wanted a King who would destroy their enemies, and yet they witnessed their enemies nail Him to a Cross.
  • They wanted a King that would make them wise, and yet they got a King that destroyed the wisdom of the wise.
1 Corinthians 1:18-23
For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. KJV
 For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. NIV

It is interesting what Jesus told the disciples to do. They had to preach saying the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead! and cast out devils, and they were to make no charge whatsoever for their services. If this wasn’t sufficient signs for the Jews, then I do not know what would convince them. Is it any wonder they would be without excuse if they turned their back on their King?

If Jesus Himself could have so much compassion and pity on the lost sheep of the House of Israel, how much more longing should we have for the lost souls around us? We are surrounded by people every day that are heading the way of an unbeliever. We need to pray constantly for opportunities to witness to them before it is too late.

Let me look on the crowd, as my Saviour did,
Till my eyes with tears grow dim;
Let me view with pity the wandering sheep,
And love them for love of Him.

William MacDonald

PADKOS – 4th January

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PadkosJESUS TOOK THE CUP

GETHSEMANE –
a garden on the Mount of Olives

Luke 22:40-42

And when He was at the place, (Gethsemane) He said unto them, “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast and kneeled and prayed, Saying, “Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done.” KJV

On reaching the place, He said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” NIV

GABBATHA

John 19:13,15-16

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him.” Then he delivered Him unto them to be crucified. KJV

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).

But they shouted, “Take Him away! Take Him away! Crucify Him!”  Finally Pilate handed Him over to them to be crucified. NIV

Acts 8:33

In His humiliation justice was denied Him. KJV

 In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. NIV

GOLGOTHA

Mark 15:22,24

And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The Place of a Skull. And when they had crucified Him they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. KJV

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the Place of the Skull”).  And they crucified Him. Dividing up His clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. NIV

Galatians 3:13

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: For it is written, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” KJV

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” NIV

I must confess to shedding some tears as I write these words and I hope the truths contained in them touch you like no other, as they have me.

AT GETHSEMANE

  • Jesus knelt and took the cup.
  • The surrendered will of Christ.
  • He knelt before the Father.

AT GABBATHA

  • Jesus stood and wore the Crown and the Cloak.
  • The silent witness of Christ.
  • He stood before the Governor.

AT GOLGOTHA

  • Jesus hung and bore the curse.
  • The Sovereign work of Christ.
  • He hung before the World.

Isaiah 45:22

Look unto Me and be ye saved ALL ye ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. KJV

Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. NIV

PADKOS – 17 August

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FOOD FOR YOUR JOURNEY

17 August

Padkos

THE OUTCOME

I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord. 

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

  • On August 15th we spoke about THE OFFER.
  • On August 16th we spoke about THE ORDER.
  • Today we shall speak about THE OUTCOME.Continue reading →

PADKOS – 14 May

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IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE

 

 

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two,
If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.
Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honoured guest,
And all the food you’d serve to Him would be of the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have Him there.
That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare.
But when you saw Him coming would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched welcome to your Heavenly visitor.

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let him in,
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where it may be seen?
Would you turn off the Television and hope He hadn’t heard
And wish you hadn’t uttered that last loud hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?
And I wonder if the Saviour spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you keep right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?
Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard at each meal to say grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the books you read?
And would you let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?
Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you’d planned to go?
Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your closest friends?
Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?
Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do,
If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you.

Louise B. Eades

PADKOS – 13 May

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WHY DO YE SEEK ME?

John 6:14-15

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, “This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone. KJV

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself. NIV

The men had just witnessed Jesus feeding 5000+ people with five loaves and two small fish and having enough left over to fill twelve baskets! It is interesting to read what happened and how Jesus used the disciples. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and gave thanks (so should we before eating food), then He distributed the bread and fish to the disciples who in turn handed it out to the crowds, indicating that the Lord used the services of others. The lesson to be learned is: You do what you can do, I’ll do what I can do, and the Lord will do what we cannot do.

By the time Jesus had handed over the bread and fish to the disciples it had been miraculously multiplied, showing us that little given to the Lord in faith is greatly increased by return. Another lesson is that nothing of His giving is ever wasted, because they picked up twelve baskets full of leftovers indicating that even the unwanted and discarded are precious in His sight. The broken recovered for nothing is lost.

The people saw what happened and came to the conclusion: A mighty miracle had taken place before their eyes. They looked at Jesus and said:

  • Is this the person whom our Holy Scriptures speak of?
  • Is this the prophet that was promised to us?
  • Is this the one who will deliver us from the stranglehold of the Romans?

Sadly, they were not willing to admit that Jesus was The Son of God, nor were they willing to acknowledge their sins and nor were they willing to accept Jesus as Saviour. They wanted instead an earthly monarch, someone who would rescue them from the Roman Empire and overthrow their masters.

Putting all this aside, the crowds wanted to make Jesus their King, even if this meant using force to do so.

William MacDonald put it like this: If Jesus was just a man, He would have submitted to the praise and adoration and accept the place of prominence offered, but, He would not be moved by appeals to vanity and pride and the whims of men. He had come into this world to die for sinners, and He would not accept the throne until He became the altar of sacrifice. He had to suffer before He was exalted.

Mr A.M. Ross has put it like this: Where fickleness is married to folly, can faith be born under their roof? These same people had just witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 and had tasted that food, and now they wanted to make Him a king.

F.B. Meyer summed it up beautifully: Jesus fled when they wanted to make Him king and presented Himself when they wanted to crucify Him.

Which brings me to the question:  WHY DO YE SEEK ME?

What answer will you give?

PADKOS – 12 May

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GOD DRAWING MEN

James 4:8

Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. KJV

Come near to God and He will come near to you. NIV

John 6:44

No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. KJV

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them. NIV

John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. KJV

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself. NIV

There are some who have difficulty in reconciling these verses, where in one, Jesus says that no man can come to Him, except the Father draw him, and in another Jesus will draw all men if He is lifted up, and in the third, if we draw near to God He will draw near to us.

Thankfully the answer is relatively simple and can be explained like this:

  • Man is, in himself, utterly helpless.
  • Unless God begins to work in his life, he will never realise the depth of his sin and extent of his alienation from the Father.
  • There are two great truths which stand side by side: God’s Sovereignty and man’s choice, showing us that Salvation has a divine side and a human side.
  • John 6:47 has one of the clearest statements in the Bible concerning Salvation:

John 6:47

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on ME hath everlasting life. KJV

Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. NIV
  1. What we have to realise is that God can and does start a work in a person’s life, or even a whole community’s life using various methods.
  2. He may use the Holy Spirit to convict an entire village of their need of a Saviour by sending a Godly preacher who calls everyone to the village hall to hear the Gospel. Countless thousands have come to a saving knowledge of the Saviour by this means.
  3. He may prepare a Christian to go and witness to a particular individual who is in need of Salvation. There are countless stories told by Believers who have been down on their knees seeking God’s will and guidance and have been led to a friend or stranger in order to share the Gospel with them.
  • In John 12:32 Jesus says: I WILL DRAW ALL MEN.
  • The condition for this was His being LIFTED UP.
  • And since He was lifted up, He keeps His promise and draws all men.

Jesus says that:

John 6:44

NO MAN can come to Me except the Father which hath sent Me DRAW HIM. KJV

NO ONE can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me DRAWS HIM. NIV

Now since HE DRAWS ALL MEN, the question must be asked:

  • How many men does the FATHER draw?
  • And if the Son does indeed draw ALL MEN, it is evident that this is the same number that is drawn by the Father.

We can then, with a joyful heart conclude that there is no reluctance on God’s part, for He is already drawing all men through CHRIST and TO CHRIST. What a wonderful Saviour we have!

PADKOS – 11 May

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WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS

 

2 Corinthians 10:5

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. KJV

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. NIV

In Biblical times the people wanted someone powerful enough to overthrow the oppressors. He must be born in a Palace! They wanted someone who would smash the hold that the Romans had over them.

In one sense Israel looked too high for their Messiah, for He would be King, and in another sense, they looked too low, for they saw Him only as a man. Instead they got a Man who came riding on the back of an ass! They did not want this! They wanted someone who had power. When the authorities crucified Jesus on the Cross of Calvary and they watched Him die, they were so disappointed. This is not what they wanted!

Well I can tell you nothing has changed! The people of today are just the same, they are looking for someone who has POWER and AUTHORITY. They are not interested in HIS PERSON nor HIS PERFECTION and yet they are so willing to make Christ God of their problems and crises, being very selective in when and how to bow to Him. But there are so few who will actually make Him:

  • God of their careers.
  • God of their money and possessions.
  • God of their characters.
  • God of their conduct.
  • God of their conversation.
  • God of the company they keep.
  • God of their thoughts.

And yet our Scripture for today makes it very plain that we are to bring into captivity EVERY thought to the obedience of Christ.

  • Your Doctrine and Belief does not make you a Christian.
  • Your Form of Worship does not make you a Christian.
  • Your Conduct does not make you a Christian.

Then what does?

It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

  • You are a Christian when Christ comes into your heart.
  • You are a Christian when you are joined to Him by faith.
  • You are a Christian when His Healing, Cleansing Life is passing into your life.
  • You are a Christian when all your reasonings and speculations are judged in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ and obedience to His Word.

My prayer is that you will be concerned with the Person and Perfection of Jesus and that you will receive Him into your heart and that you will let Him dwell within you.

PADKOS – 10 May

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HE RECEIVED HIM JOYFULLY

 

Luke 19:2-6

There was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see Him: for He was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, “Zacchaeus make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully. KJV

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly. NIV

The story of Zacchaeus is very interesting because in the previous chapter of Luke, Jesus tells us that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God, and Zacchaeus was rich. There are, however, other things about him I would like to consider.  He was:

  • A Publican.
  • A Jewish citizen who had purchased the right to collect money for the Romans.
  • Hated by his fellow citizens because they considered him a traitor.
  • The Chief Tax Collector and collected taxes for the Roman Empire.

We are told that Zacchaeus was not tall, in fact we are specifically told that he was short and that to be able to see Jesus he would have to gain some height, and to do so he would have to run on ahead of the crowds and climb a tree to be able to see! I don’t know about you, but I have been trying to picture this little man, this very important man whom everybody would know and recognise, running and dodging around the crowds of people making a dash for a tree and then actually climbing it and perching himself on a branch so that when Jesus passed he would be able to see Him. Imagine what the neighbours would think! Here was this very important man whom everybody hated, cheating many if the truth be known, to pay the Romans, clinging to a branch of a sycamore tree waiting for Jesus to pass by.

There is a lesson for us in this story because it describes more people than you might think. Even if it was just mere curiosity that drove Zacchaeus to catch a glimpse of Jesus, he went ahead and did it. He was not ashamed of what he did, even given his position in the community and what others might whisper about him. His act of faith did not go unnoticed because Jesus looked up and told him to come down from the tree and invited Himself into his house, and Zacchaeus received the Lord joyfully!

  • Have you heard that Jesus is coming?
  • Are you curious about Him?
  • Have you made an effort to find out more about Him?
  • Have you put aside previous prejudices and preconceptions about Jesus Christ and made up your mind to find out the truth for yourself?

Our verses of Scripture today tell us of a man called Zacchaeus who could answer YES to all of the above questions, and despite what everyone around him thought, he made up his mind to receive Jesus into his life. Won’t you do the same? Come to the Saviour whilst He is around. He may not pass your way again!

PADKOS – 9 May

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THE MIND

 

Isaiah 26:3-4

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. KJV

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.  Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord, the Lord HIMSELF, is the Rock eternal. NIV

The great American Baptist hymn writer Philip P. Bliss loved these verses so much that he regarded them as the best verses in the whole Bible.

Everlasting Strength

In the margin of the Bible it says that the words Everlasting Strength in Hebrew means Rock of Ages, and it was from this expression that Augustus Toplady got the idea for one of the greatest hymns in the English language to be written:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.

The great preacher D.L. Moody once said: The tree of peace strikes its roots into the crevices of the Rock of Ages.

Those whose mind truly is stayed on Jesus will find perfect peace and those whose minds are elsewhere will find anything but peace.

Romans 1:28

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do the things which are not convenient. KJV

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. NIV

It is in the mind that man is condemned and has condemned himself. Man does not want to acknowledge God. He has made a conscious choice NOT to glorify or even thank God for all He has done. As a result, man has lost the capacity to even think clearly. He has turned to idols and fables. They do not want to come to the Light and those who do not want to see, lose the capacity to see. In their minds they become conceited and ignorant, and instead of worshipping the living God they worship their own gods.

Is it any wonder then that God gave them over to a reprobate (degenerate) mind? It is the mind of man that degenerates because as he no longer worships what is true and good, he becomes like what he worships and because he has done away with Righteousness and Holiness, he has become unholy and his morals degenerate. If he worships a snake, then he feels that he can worship as he pleases. But one thing his mind has not reckoned on is that a worshipper generally feels inferior to the object of his worship, so it just shows how far man has fallen. From being made in the likeness of our Creator and worshipping Him, to taking a place and position lower than that of serpents!

When a man’s mind is not on the Creator in Holy worship and thanksgiving, he is in trouble! A great deal of trouble.

Jesus came to save those who are lost. Are you one of them? If you are, then ask for forgiveness and invite Him into your life and set your mind on Him and He will keep you in perfect peace. God has promised this, so change your mind and turn to the one who is everlasting strength.

PADKOS – 8 May

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GROWTH

 

 

To grow as a Christian, we need:  FOOD

1 Peter 2:2

As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. KJV

Like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. NIV

Matthew 4:4

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. KJV

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. NIV

To grow as a Christian, we need:  FAITH

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. KJV

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. NIV

To grow as a Christian, we need:  FELLOWSHIP

1 John 1:6-7
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. KJV

If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. NIV

Every month we get an ELECTRICITY, WATER and GAS bill pushed through our letter box, and it is around this time that my heart sinks a little because I know that I will have to put my hand in my pocket and give away some of my hard earned money! Having said that these three commodities are in constant demand. We have to have them in order for the home to function properly, in other words they are a must! And because the water is pure, and the gas is safe and the electricity is the correct voltage, we have no fear in using them. So, it is with God’s Word, we can have no fear of using it, because the SOURCE is PURE and it is SAFE and it is SECURE.

Where new-born babes are concerned, there are two problems that Mothers experience with infant feeding:

  1. The Mother cannot give the milk that is needed.
  2. The Baby will not take the milk that is provided.

Where God’s children are concerned the first problem never arises. This is NOT TRUE with the second problem. Babies may take hours of the Mother’s time feeding it, but a problem arises when it comes to newly born-again BABES who do not spend enough time with the Word of God.

How much time do you take feeding your soul? This is a question every person needs to answer.

  1. The Word of God will supply ALL the milk needed.
  2. The child of God will NOT take all the milk provided.

That is the problem!

Food, Faith and Fellowship is the way to grow as a Christian. I pray that you will Feed on the Word of God which will increase your Faith and that you will find wonderful Fellowship with other Believers.

Your growth depends on it!

PADKOS – 7 May

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UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. KJV

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV

All too often when we read this verse, we tend to lose sight of the Majesty of what happened and how. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived. How wonderful and utterly amazing is that! In the physical reality, we miss the Spiritual reality. In the appearance of a tiny, loveable, dependant Creature we can miss the concealed but loving independent, infinite Creator. The Prophet Isaiah brings us up with a jolt!

There is no mention of parentage or offspring. The glory of His birth will not be shared with earthly parents. This Child who came from Mary was first and foremost the Creator from whom Mary came! We were created by Him who was born unto us. He who created the whole universe is now cradled in a manger. He who was born in a stable went from Supreme Majesty to sublime meekness, only because of who He is. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, and He must be all else in between. The greatest of all Christmas gifts is Christ. Sadly though, like so many Christmas gifts, He remains concealed, undesired, unused or unwanted. For most, the gift of all gifts has not even been unwrapped!

  • He is the Wonderful Counsellor to a condemned and confused world.
  • He is the Mighty God to an idolatrous world.
  • He is the Everlasting Father to a dying and orphaned world.
  • He is the Prince of Peace to a strife and war-torn world.

Have you given thought to the Gift of all Gifts? Jesus came into this world to seek and to save those who were lost and ended up laying down His life on the Cross of Calvary that you might live! If you have not received Him as your Saviour, then you are lost. The Bible tells us that you will for ever be separated from God. Don’t wait until Christmas to receive Him. Do it now. Ask the Saviour of the whole world to come into your heart and begin to live with Him and for Him. 

PADKOS – 6 May

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THE POOL

John 5:2-9

Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him, “Wilt thou be made whole?” The impotent man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another stepped down before me.” Jesus saith unto him, “Rise, take up thy bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. KJV

Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralysed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, NIV

The name of the pool, Bethesda means: House of Mercy or House of Pity, and is a very fit description for it reminds us of Jesus who has pity on all those who have not had their sins dealt with by the blood He shed at Calvary. There is mercy at the foot of the Cross and all that is needed is a repentant and remorseful heart to have sins washed away.

The Pool was located in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate and contained five porches around the water’s edge. These porches were large open spaces and were crowded with people who were waiting and hoping for the angel to move the water so that they could be healed. Although we are not given much detail of why, when and how this happened, we are simply told that an angel came down at certain times and disturbed the water and whoever was first in the water was cured of whatever disease they had. What a pitiful sight to behold – so many sick, blind, lame and paralyzed people waiting for the water to move and then struggling to get to the water before the next man, when Jesus was right there!

  • Is this not a picture of the world?
  • Is this not a picture of how Jesus is treated today?
  • Is this not a witness of man’s religion?
  • Is this not a picture of man’s pathetic regulations, rules and rituals?
  • Is this not a picture of disappointment when we depend on others and not the Saviour of the world?
  • Is this not a picture of the Grace of God being ignored?

The Lord knows our needs. He knows that we desperately need to be saved, but He waits to hear those very precious words come from our own lips. The confession that we are lost without Him! The confession that we need Him as our Saviour.

In v6 Jesus asks the man:  Do you want to be made whole?
In v8 Jesus tells him to:  Rise, take up thy bed and walk.

Today Jesus is asking the same question and telling us that when we are saved we are to get up and away from our lives of sin, putting it behind us, and that we are to walk in a manner that is worthy of Him and of the Sacrifice He made for us. Are you willing to do that for Jesus?

PADKOS – 5 May

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GOD THE DIVINE GARDENER

(Part Two)

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. KJV

The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NIV

It is interesting that God created life first and knowledge second. Everything God does He does in order. Everything God made had design, there was nothing haphazard or experimental, and nothing left to chance.

Man may speculate but not so God. God is at the scene and knows the scene before the scene exists. God alone created time and space and is subject to neither. God named two trees in the garden and, as in all His practices, there is a purpose. Man had a body which needed nourishment and exercise and God provided for both by making him the Second Gardener. Man had a spirit and God provided for it by fellowshipping with him. Man had a soul and God was enough to satisfy that soul, but the soul was related to time as well as to eternity, to self and man as well as to God. While it might THIRST for God and FOLLOW after God, because of its freedom and free will, it could just as readily thirst after and follow after another instead of God.

The Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil would reveal the CONFLICT and be the test of GOOD and EVIL. The free will was intended to bring man closer to his Creator by reciprocating love, not to drive him from that PRESENCE by sin and the fear it always produces.

SELF, SIN, GUILT and REBELLION is the order of deterioration. It was the path man chose to take in the beginning, and sadly he still chooses it today. It was the path that man took and it was the path that took man.

  • It took him out of Eden.
  • It took him out of the presence of God.
  • It took away the peace he had with God.
  • It took him out of fellowship with God.
  • Self is first and always the centre of man’s downfall.
  • Self-centredness unbalances a man’s thinking, and his motives become wrong. His actions then mirror this tragedy and soon follow suit.

It was SIN and FEAR that caused Adam and Eve to hide themselves away from God when He called them. Is God calling you today? Are you hiding yourself because you fear what may happen if you answer? The Scriptures tell us that Jesus paid the price, in full, for all our sins, and that forgiveness is a Gift from God Himself. All you have to do is receive it to restore Fellowship with Him.