A Prayer

Oh Lord I pray that You keep temptation from me.
Lord, if I am to be tempted toward lust, greed, unkind thoughts,
Give me the strength to resist.
Let me think on the sacrifice of Jesus when I am tempted to backslide.
I ask you this in the name of Your Son the Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen.

Backsliding, repenting, backsliding, repenting ..

How ever many times we backslide into sin, we must never give up the attempt to live without sin. We are not like Jesus - we are not sinless. We are always subject to temptation. The best we can say is ..

From this day forth, I shall not fall into temptation.

And more importantly, we should fall upon our knees and beg the Lord to lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from evil.

Pray every day, that God will protect you and guide your steps. And then make your own effort to live without sinning. Your own effort will not be good enough, but it is still required that you attempt it - and that to the best of you abilities.

Dear Lord please guide my steps,
Give me the strength to resist temptation,
I ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

And my God bless you - N

Another new start

Not exactly 'born again' today but a new start at being a better Christian. If you read this please pray for me.

Love - N

Praying and paying

I went to London today on business. Whilst I was in Westminster I decided to visit Westminster Abbey for a quick prayer. My bags were checked at the door for "sharp objects". This did not surprise me, but I was genuinely shocked to be asked for a ten pound entrance fee! I never expected to have to pay to enter the house of our Lord. I did not pay the fee, but turned round and exited the church foyer.

Instead I walked 50 yards to St Margaret's Church (pictured). This is a beautiful church in the grounds of Westminster Abbey. It dates back to 1533, and has the most exquisite stained glass windows. The alter is decorated with a triptych depicting the last supper.

There were quite a few tourists in the church, but I settled down in a pew at the back and said a short prayer. It is always a bit difficult to pray when tourists are wandering about a church. It makes me feel self conscious, as if I were doing something out-of-keeping rather than they. Nonetheless, it is always good to talk to the Lord - to find any kind of sanctuary in the bustling city.

God Bless - N

Spiritual rebirth on Annunciation Day

As of yesterday, the 25th March 2007, I, Nicodemus, commit to living life as a better Christian. Like many of us, I have been guilty of a fair amount of backsliding in the last few years. I have been too easily led into temptation - sometimes making no effort to avoid it.

Psalm 51

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Yesterday was good day to pick for starting anew. In the Christian calendar it is Annunciation Day. A day to celebrate the conception of our Lord Jesus Christ. And how better to this than with a renewed vow of faithfulness to Him.

God Bless you all - N

Blessed is the lion which becomes man

I have just been reading about the gospel of Thomas. This is a gospel that did not make it into the New Testament but is believed to have been written in the first century. The gospel of Thomas is not a narrative gospel (like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) but a 'sayings' gospel. It is thought to contain the sayings of Jesus as collected by the apostle Thomas. There are 114 verses (sayings) in all. Some of these have obvious parallels in the NT but others are more esoteric. One that paticularly interest me is verse 7.

Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man

The meaning of this is open to interpretation but I believe the Lion represents 'The World'. So the meaning is something like:- A man can make the ungodly world holy by being holy, but if the ungodly world seduces the man, the man becomes ungodly. Something worth considering as the seductions of the world seem to increase.

God Bless - N

Tyndale's John - Chapter 3 verses 1 to 16

The William Tyndale Bible is an early translation of the Holy Bible into English. It predates the King James Authorised Version, but it is noticeable that the Tyndale text was influential in the phrasing of the KJV. Here is a small sample - John 3:1 to 3:16. If you would like to see the four gospels in full they are here Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

1 Ther was a man of the pharises named Nicodemus a ruler amonge ye Iewes.

2 The same cam to Iesus by nyght and sayde vnto him: Rabbi we knowe that thou arte a teacher whiche arte come from God. For no man coulde do suche miracles as thou doest except God were with him.

3 Iesus answered and sayde vnto him: Verely verely I saye vnto the: except a man be boren a newe he cannot se the kyngdom of God.

4 Nicodemus sayde vnto him: how can a man be boren when he is olde? can he enter into his moders wombe and be boren agayne?

5 Iesus answered: verely verely I saye vnto the: except that a man be boren of water and of ye sprete he cannot enter into the kyngdome of god.

6 That which is boren of the flesshe is flesshe: and that which is boren of the sprete is sprete.

7 Marvayle not that I sayd to the ye must be boren a newe.

8 The wynde bloweth where he listeth and thou hearest his sounde: but canst not tell whence he cometh and whether he goeth. So is every man that is boren of the sprete.

9 And Nicodemus answered and sayde vnto him: how can these thinges be?

10 Iesus answered and sayde vnto him: arte thou a master in Israel and knowest not these thinges?

11 Verely verely I saye vnto the we speake that we knowe and testify that we have sene: and ye receave not oure witnes.

12 Yf when I tell you erthely thinges ye beleve not: how shuld ye beleve yf I shall tell you of hevenly thinges?

13 And no man ascendeth vp to heaven but he that came doune from heaven that is to saye the sonne of man which is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifte vp the serpent in the wyldernes even so must the sonne of man be lifte vp

15 that none that beleveth in him perisshe: but have eternall lyfe.

16 For God so loveth the worlde yt he hath geven his only sonne that none that beleve in him shuld perisshe: but shuld have everlastinge lyfe.

God Bless - N

The establishment of Christian behaviour

It occurs to me that the one of the best ways to develop a really Christian life is to hold your faith in your mind as much as possible. I have recently read Way of a Pilgrim by Walter J. Ciszek (Foreword), Helen Bacovcin (Translator) This is an old Russian book that tells the story of an honest poor pilgrim who travels about the countryside looking for a way of including the Jesus Payer into his life. The Jesus Prayer ..

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.

The pilgrim seeks to make the Jesus Prayer part of his daily life by repeating it over and over again, as often as he could. At first he mumbled it and then only said it in his head, like a Hindu mantra. I have decided that I shall try this approach and see what happens. I shall Post again in a month or so and let you know what happens - N