Dr Paul Allen

Eustache Le Sueur, Christ Healing the Blind Man, - Oil on panel, 49 x 65 cm Schloss Sanssouci, Berlin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned , nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” ( John 9:2-3 ) Mankind has always found it easy to fall into the trap of thinking that suffering of any sort is due to sin. To be sure, much suffering is due to sin, and even after repentance and forgiveness, scars may remain. Furthermore, evil and its attendant grief surround us. Our civilization is plagued by sin and its evil fruits—some of which reach even the most godly Christian . Indeed, “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain” ( Romans 8:22 ) as a result of the curse brought about by sin. If there had been no sin, there would have been no suffering. But this does not imply that all personal suffering st

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 All that the believer has must come from Christ , but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace. Moreover, as all blessings thus flow to you through the Holy Spirit, so also no good thing can come out of you in holy thought, devout worship, or gracious act, apart from the sanctifying operation of the same Spirit. Even if the good seed be sown in you, yet it lies dormant except he works in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure. Do you desire to speak for Jesus —how can you unless the Holy Ghost touch your tongue? Do you desire to pray? Alas! What dull work it is unless the Spirit makes intercession for you! Do you desire to subdue sin? Would you be holy? Would you imitate your Master? Do you desire to rise to superlative heights of spirituality? Are you wanting to be made like the angels of God, full of zeal and ardor for the Master ’s cause? You

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12 If ever one of woman born might have lived without prayer, it was our spotless, perfect Lord, and yet none was ever so much in supplication as he! Such was his love to his Father, that he loved much to be in communion with him: such his love for his people, that he desired to be much in intercession for them. The fact of this eminent prayerfulness of Jesus is a lesson for us —he has given us an example that we may follow in his steps. The time he chose was admirable, it was the hour of silence, when the crowd would not disturb him; the time of inaction, when all but himself had ceased to labor; and the season when slumber made men forget their woes, and cease their applications to him for relief. While others found rest in sleep, he refreshed himself with prayer. The place was also well selected. He was alone where none would intrude, where none could observe: thus was he

English: Their are thousands of artworks created in the art world depicting St Paul. This painting was created by the famous artist called Rembrandt. It hangs on the walls of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God ’s will for you in Christ Jesus .“ 1 Thessalonians 5:17–18 Were you ever separated for an extended time from someone you loved deeply? If so, those days apart probably seemed almost unbearable. They may have also led to special moments to be savored—such as that catch‐your‐breath instant when you recognized the handwriting on the letter in your mailbox, realized who sent that last e‐mail message, or heard that familiar voice over the telephone. Jesus’ love for us is something like that. He longs for fellowship with us. And when we kneel before Him and spend even a few minutes in prayer, we bring joy to Him. The apostle Paul said Jesus wants to hear your voice “continuall

Courage! It is the Lord (Photo credit: Lawrence OP ) The parabolic ministry of the Lord Jesus was the fulfilment of the prophecy concerning the blinding of the nation of Israel , Isa. 6:9. This was done gradually and was not completed until AD 70 when the nation was finally destroyed by the Roman government. Significantly, the multitude had been sent away and the command of the Lord was ‘pass over unto the other side’. His attention is now turned to the disciples and He is training them. They will be the ones to carry on His work after He is gone and the disciples had much to learn. This lesson was that when He gives the command there is nothing that can stop it being fulfilled. There arose a mighty storm and the ship was about to sink. The ship was full as it had taken on a great deal of water. No amount of bailing was able to keep ahead of the storm. But the Lord Jesus was in the ship! Was this storm going to cause Him to drown? Was this storm going to cause His purpose to f