We had some visitors from another area, and were taking them around the local  sights. One of these was a glass blower at  work behind the gallery that was selling his work. There were some beautiful pieces on display, all brightly coloured and different shapes. The man was in his workshop at the back of the gallery which was open for people to watch him at work.

We went in and up the stairs to the observation platform where we could look down on him plying his art. The furnace was heated up and the tongs he was using were red hot. As he pulled the shaped vase out of the heat, he pulled and twisted at the neck of it to form a shapely edge. But time and time again, he had to put it back into the heat because he wasn’t satisfied with how it looked.

It reminded me of the Master Glass Blower at work in our lives, as He moulds and perfects His people to make them become what He wants them to be. We may not like the heat of the fire we have to go through, or the pulling and twisting that we are subject to, but when it is all over, we are more like the finished article that He wants us to be….a thing of beauty and fit for His use.

I bought one of these new smart phones the other day and am finding it very hard to get used to what it can do. There just seems no end to the things that it CAN do, but how can I find  out how to make it do these things? I came to the conclusion that it is only practice…..hours of practice, turning it on every day and using it!

After all, that is how a person learns to play the piano if they can’t do it by ear. Practice. Hours of it. I know, because I had to do it all those years ago. But it pays off in the long run.

It just reminded me how so many people say they can’t understand the Bible. They say it is too hard and uses outdated language. But that is because they don’t use it and become familiar with it!

If we feel like this, perhaps we have never given it a fair go. Sure, there are some parts that are more difficult than others to understand, but if we persevere, God will give us the understanding that we need. After all, it is His book that He has given to the human race, and it is now translated into so many languages, that He intends for us to read it and become familiar with it. So let’s give it a go, and one day it will all become clear just as this smart phone will start to make sense for me as I use it!

 Matthew 5: 13  ….         You are the salt of the earth…….

We are reminded here that salt that has lost its flavour is useless and pointless. What are some of the  things that salt does?

Salt  enhances the flavour of the food….Paul tells us to make sure what we say is gracious and will enhance a conversation with others, building them up and encouraging them.

Salt creates a thirst….does what we say create a thirst in those listening,  to know more of the Lord?

Salt preserves…. again, does our life and speech give preservation to others, do we tell others how to escape God’s judgement?

Salt heals….it has a healing effect. God’s people must be known for their helping and healing hands in others’ times of trouble.

Salt cleanses wounds….it may sting in the process, but it gets rid of the germs. If we have to correct others, let us make sure that it is done in a spirit of meekness and love, remembering that we too have weaknesses.

Salt kills bugs (snails and slugs) in the garden….let us make sure that we kill gossip and slander before it starts, to nip it in the bud!

       Why bother to pray? God already knows what we need or want. But have you ever thought that God wants to give us what we ask Him for? Unless we ask, we won’t get it, and unless we get it, we won’t say thank-you!

Our prayers won’t change God’s mind, but they will certainly change ours!

When someone wrongs us, we say we will never forgive them, but if we pray for them we will find that we feel differently about the whole matter. Maybe not straight away. Maybe they don’t deserve to have good things prayed for them. But remember,  the benefit is not for them; in the long run the benefit is for YOU!

Perhaps you are thinking that God is too busy, and why should He take any notice of little old you! Ah, but God has told us to pray;  and not only that, but to pray continually.

He says, “Ask in your time of trouble and I will deliver you, and then you will praise and thank Me!”

God is looking for those who will give Him thanks.

I’ve been reading in the Bible, in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a wonderful prophet of God who lived in the time frame of the last kings of Judah. It was a very important time as far as God was concerned, and He wanted the people of Israel to realize why they were suffering the dreadful things that were happening to them. He called Isaiah one day, and gave him a vision of Himself….. “I saw the Lord, high and lifted up”, he wrote, ” and His train filled the temple…..”

The sight was so awesome that Isaiah fell down with his face to the ground, and his first reaction was, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Because Isaiah admitted he was a sinful man, God sent an angel to clean him up and then gave him a message to take to the people of Israel. God cannot use anyone for His glory until they have been cleansed from their sinful ways. You can read about this in Isaiah chapter 6, verses 1-10.

          As I was taking my morning walk today, I noticed some attractive trees planted at a gateway. But what hadn’t been taken into consideration was the fact that they were right underneath the power wires…how short-sighted that was!

Yet it made me think about how short-sighted many people are in not taking into consideration what the consequences of their actions today are for the future. Yes, the trees were very attractive, but they were going to grow into enormous trees far higher than the power wires. Even if they were going to be kept trimmed, this would entail a lot of work and expense. Some of the habits or friendships we form today are very attractive now, but what are the consequences for us in the future?  Let’s keep these things in mind and beware of making far reaching mistakes.