Few Are Talking About It But….

I hope to print the following off in tract form…

…There is a very serious problem in our society. Yes, I know there are many serious problems but this one is widespread and leads to misery, destruction and death. A man bursts into a room in a house and then proceeds to viciously attack innocent people; as a result there are injuries and death. Newspaper reports tell of savage attacks on parents which lead to similar outcomes. I have read reports about victims who have died on account of frenzied attacks carried out by those who have entered a psychotic state “after ingesting a cocktail of illegal substances.”

These terrible events and many many more have taken place in recent times, but there are others which are not even talked about because no one dies. Right now all over this country there are situations where parents are terrified and locking themselves away from abusive offspring and I am sure that there are children who are terrified of parents who are abusive drug addicts too. It is appalling to think that some politicians desperately want certain drugs to be legalised, particularly Cannabis which they say is “harmless.” There is a well-known saying that “drugs are available at every crossroads in Ireland.”

The truth is that some prominent figures in our society, as well as business and professional people may also be drug users and some may well be addicts. There is a silence on the subject which is not healthy, as very often respectable families do not wish to admit that their children have a problem. Drug pushers approach schools and other places where there are children and young people of a vulnerable age; what is most appalling is that we may feel that we cannot always trust the “forces of law and order” either. As someone who worked with me once cynically said… “where money is concerned you can trust no one.”

Who can you trust in these days? There is certainly only one Person we can put our trust in….and that is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In an era of mayhem, addictions, fear and abuse – there is peace that passes all understanding, when we put our trust in the Prince of Peace.

He breaks the tempter’s powers (“but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1Corinthians 10v13) He sets the slave to abusive substances free… whether it is alcohol, so called “soft” drugs or terrifying drugs like heroin, or a combination of everything. He calms the troubled hearts of those who are abused, terrified and at the mercy of dealers and he calls the addict from the dark depressing cycle of endless addiction.

Oh come to Him now and pray to Him in a quiet place. Repent of all previous sins (for the Bible says that “all have sinned” Romans 3v23). Ask Him to come into your heart and take care of your needs – whatever they are. Whether you are the person who is worried about the addict – or the addict yourself, He knows everything about you and wants to take control of your life and make you a new person. He loved you enough to give His very life for you and His desire is that the rest of your life would be lived as He intended it to be lived – for His glory. Today He loves you still and lives to set you free, that you may have that knowledge of sins forgiven and a Home in heaven.

Jesus said: “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6v37)

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11v28)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3v16)

“Peace I leave with you, my peace give I unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14v27) “And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4v7)

Beyond Cruel – The Evil World of the Illegal Drugs Trade in Ireland

As this is currently a very serious issue in Ireland, I am also giving the following out in tract form…
Recent times have exposed the extent to which people will go to perpetuate this evil in our society. Young people (and older people too) have been tortured and murdered and it would appear that these evil dealers control entire swaths of Irish society. Those who try to throw light on the situation or organise meetings with advice on how to keep their children from drugs, are violently threatened and targeted. Drug dealers want teenagers and very young children dependant on this vile but very lucrative source of income.
The homeless and the vulnerable in society are easy targets for these people and the awful reality is that often drug dealers can never be reimbursed. An individual may indeed want to “go clean,” settle the debt with the dealer who is chasing them and make a new life for themselves, by gaining experience in some field and working in this area where their talents lie – but drug dealers will pursue, constantly looking for more and more money over and beyond what he is “entitled” to.
Even rural areas are targeted; it has been said that this evil trade is plied at every crossroads in Ireland. In one large town I know well, random shootings and arson attacks can occur at any time of the day or night and innocent people going about their business have unfortunately fallen foul of this and become victims too. Rival gangs who vie for trade have shot each other fatally and this “gang warfare” has spilled out into Spanish resorts in recent years, with rich dealers living in luxurious places beyond Ireland. “Unexplained wealth” is certainly a phenomenon in our society.
Sadly this disease is not confined solely to those from a “disadvantaged background,” as some professional people have been said to have (or have had) a “drug problem.” Week after week we hear of it all, so what can be done about this deadly evil that has spread throughout our society?
How horrific it is to make your money out of the misery of others – and what a hard task master the devil is! You, the reader, may be involved in some way in all of this – or indeed, thankfully, you may not. But whatever your standing in society, the Bible tells us that there is one thing you can be certain of: “every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14v12)
One of the most beautiful feelings in the world is to waken up in the morning with a clear conscience and in the glorious knowledge that you are not “hooked on” anything. Praise God… He can give us a clear conscience! “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8v36)
The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3v23) We may in no way be associated with the drugs trade but whoever we are in this world, we need a Saviour and only the blood of Jesus, the precious Son of God, who gave Himself a ransom for all, is able to atone for sin when, by faith, we confess our sins to Him, asking Him to forgive us and to come into our lives to make us “new creatures.” “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Corinthians 5v17)
“With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19v26) Sin, like many deadly physical diseases, comes in many guises, not all of which are readily recognisable as being dangerous. As a police officer once told me: “there is no such thing as a harmless drug.” While law enforcement are often successful with regard to drug seizures – they have no control over the hearts and minds of either the pusher or the addict. But praise God, there are those who truly know Him and have committed their lives to Him; who pray fervently that this evil may be eradicated and that souls would live out their lives in healthy freedom, to the glory of their Creator and Saviour. Yes, these things are possible and many can testify to having been delivered!
Whoever you are, whether a “pillar of society,” a very worried parent, a seemingly hopeless addict or someone steeped in deepest sin as a dealer – you need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2v8&9)
Remember, He loves you personally and cared enough for you to give His very life for you, that you may have abundant life now – and eternal life in His Presence forevermore. Yes, we live in dark days when evil abounds and the most horrific deeds are being perpetrated but praise God there is a way out… through faith in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for all. (“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1John2v2)
Perhaps you would like to pray these (or similar) words right now in the quietness of your own heart… “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to die for me. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. Please come into my life and make me a new person. Assist me, in your strength, to tell others of my experience and to live according to your words, as contained in the Bible. Open my eyes to the great truths within it, and help me to find fellowship with others who share this experience.”
My prayer is that you will find the peace that passes all understanding in these days of increasing spiritual darkness, for the Lord has promised that He will return to take those who know Him, Home to be with Him, while those who have not trusted Him will face a lost eternity. In the serious knowledge that this could be at any time, I pray that you will trust Him to save you now, if you have not already done so, for “behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2Corinthians 6v2)
Jesus promises those who trust Him: “My peace I leave with you, my peace give I unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14v27)

Man Dies on His 107th Birthday! On Longevity and the Christian Life

When I heard that Jacob Marshall, an elderly man I knew who lived close to my old homeplace in Northern Ireland died recently on his 107^th birthday, I started to think about the fact that longevity is very often synonymous with leading a Christian life.

Of course this is not always the case but I have noticed that those who have truly committed their lives to the Lord and follow in His paths very often do live longer. There are many reasons why this may be so – not least the fact that committed Christians live healthier lives. They regard their bodies as the “Temple of the Holy Ghost” (1Cor. 3v16) which means that they don’t drink themselves to oblivion, they don’t do drugs and they don’t smoke. With regard to food intake, this verse is practised in their daily lives… “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1Cor. 10v31). 

They are also not as likely to suffer from depression; a factor which is said to actually shorten an individual’s lifespan – even if they don’t resort to suicide. They have a reason to live – and an assurance in death; they have that unspeakable joy which only their Saviour can impart and they are generally happier and healthier in their minds too, for they “are persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able” to separate them “from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8v38&39)

When we live as peacefully as we can with our fellowmen (Romans 12v18); bearing no grudges, in the knowledge that God is the Final Judge Who some day will see to it that justice is done, it is surely better for our own well-being in the long run. Jesus’ example to us of “rendering not evil for evil” (1Thess. 5v15) is a healthy one for our physical and emotional well-being.

Of course Christians can (and do) sometimes die when they are quite young and Jesus was a prime example of this. All across the world at this moment are those followers of the Lord Jesus who are being persecuted for their faith, flung into prison, starved and tortured; such treatment very often leads to early death. And of course, Christians too live in a world which is polluted by disease of one sort or another and nuclear fall-out which results in cancer, while accidents of all types are universal.

Still, God is sovereign and when we repent, committing our lives to Him, we can rest assured that He will give us the grace to live our lives out to His glory whether they are short and sweet – or exceptionally long, like Jacob Marshall’s – or Methuselah’s!

I will close with a verse of a poem which my maternal grandfather often recited to my mother when she was a child…

“Be good sweet maid, and let who will be clever;

Do noble deeds, not dream them all day long,

And so make life, death, and that vast Forever

One grand sweet song.”

 

The above is one of the many variations of a verse from Charles Kingsley’s poem, “A Farewell.” Surely this is God’s will for the remainder of my life, whatever it consists of… that I will allow Him to work in and through me, to sanctify me to the end that my life, death, and ‘that vast Forever’ are ‘one grand sweet song?’

Homeless in the Bitter Cold of an Irish Winter

Last night I heard a pitiful “Meow” and glanced out to see the most beautiful ginger and white cat, his green eyes shining in the icy darkness. I left some food out for him and closed the door again, watching from the kitchen window to see that he licked the plate completely clean. This beautiful cat is wild, clearly homeless and ravenously hungry – still hungry after four plates of food.

At that point I started to think about homeless people. For such a small country, Ireland has more than its fair share of them and I was shocked to hear some news at the weekend about homeless people who are actually sleeping outdoors in this weather. Some of those who were interviewed said that they were afraid to stay in hostels which were run by charities because they have been attacked and their limited possessions stolen in such places. One young man said that his mother had thrown him out because of his drug addiction. How terrible!

How many needy souls there are in our own communities! There is a world of work for the Christian to do in this world; we can pray for the immediate needs of those around us but if we have the opportunity to help in a practical way we should do so. Homelessness may not be the fault of the victims of it and I don’t believe that it is God’s will for my fellow human beings to live under these circumstances. Drugs, alcohol and poverty abound – but His grace is greater. I remember hearing the story of a young woman from the Ukraine who was homeless in Northern Ireland. One night she suffered from severe frostbite and as a result had to have her lower legs amputated. The town where this happened was, I am told, full of Christians. Did anyone see her alone in a cold doorway, as they passed by? If only she had known; there was no need for this terrible thing to happen, because if she had even gone to the police, they would have made sure that she was properly accommodated. And if only those who are in need right now would realise that there is a God in heaven who cares deeply about their situation and wants to give them good living conditions and a life that is pleasing to Him.

“I wonder where that cat sleeps at night?” I asked my daughter. “I wish that we could tame him and give him a home.”

“In that old deserted farmhouse at the end of the lane I think,” she said.

If the Lord can provide for His creation in such a manner, it is surely His will that men, women, boys and girls for whom He sent His Son to die, would have all their basic needs met in this life – and above all that they would possess those spiritual gifts of joy and contentment which only the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, can impart to human hearts. Surely…“my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4v19) is His promise to those who come to Him by faith for all their needs, whether spiritual or material!

Footprints in the Snow

Before the advent of television, story telling was a wonderful tradition in Irish homesteads. Particularly during the long winter evenings, neighbours would gather in around a roaring log or turf fire to recount their old tales. There is a little story (possibly true) which I heard many years ago that somehow made a lasting impression on me, and I never fail to think of it when I see the ground covered in pure white snow…  

One evening a man, having made his journey on foot through deep snow, sat at a bar drinking pint after pint. After some time he looked through the blur of cigarette smoke and was shocked to see his young son standing there. “How on earth did you know where I was son?” He asked with concern.

“Dad,” replied the little boy, “I saw you slipping out of the house, and then I noticed your footprints in the snow. I couldn’t keep up with you, but your footprints were my guide!  Placing my feet in each footprint, I walked on and on through the cold night… and eventually I found you here.” 

The lesson is clear – our children can follow in our footsteps, and so we must be careful where those footsteps lead! Sadly I am reminded of the amount of alcohol that is consumed around the Christmas season in Ireland and the fact that many families have been adversely affected by the over-consumption of alcohol at all times of the year.

The Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born but we know why He was born… “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet unto the way of peace.” (Luke 1v79)

Surely there can be no peace when an addiction of any type has us in its clutches? Jesus said: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1v18) If someone reading this has a problem with alcohol or any other drug, remember that the Lord Jesus Christ loves you and wants to heal you… to set you free, for “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8v36) Why not ask Him to forgive you and to heal you now, for it is His will that you would get the best out of this life – and be with Him forever in the next life.

Having heard the stories of former addicts, how encouraging it is to know that their lives now give testimony to the fact that “with God all things are possible!” (Luke 1v37)

Praise God that He can place our footsteps “on the path of the just” which “is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4v18) This is a path which we will want our children to follow us in!