You Can’t Help Laughing !

I must confess that I love slapstick comedy. One person throws a custard pie at another, he ducks, and the chap behind him gets it right in the face. Why do we laugh when someone falls over, or does something stupid? I just don’t know, but we all still enjoy a laugh.    What is it that is so funny when a man carrying a plank turns to look in another direction, and the plank hits and knocks someone off his feet ?   And why is being hit or kicked on the bottom so much more humours than being hit or kicked in any other part of the anatomy ?  The old act of hanging wallpaper has brought a real laugh in countless generations before us, and we still see the funny side of the assistant getting the paste brush wiped across the face, and the descending man on the ladder putting his foot into the paste bucket.

On the whole the Bible seems a serious book, perhaps that is because it has to do with the faults, failings and behaviour of sinful people, but I am now convinced that our Great Creator God has a humorous side to His nature. You have only to look at some of the animals He made to imagine Him laughing at His efforts.

Was there no smile on Jesu’s face as He said some people “Strain at a gnat and swallow a camel”. Or “a camel going through the eye of a needle”, (in spite of the straight explanation that has been made).

Can you really believe that God does not have a good laugh at some of the situations we find so funny ?   Surely you cannot think that our eternal future is going to be sombre and serious, and that we will not have happy, humorous , and hilarious times of fun together with Him in His wonderful Kingdom.

We are made in the image of our God therefore our enjoyment of that which is funny must surely come from Our Creator.

There is one more thing to be said on this subject. In your conversations with God, have you never laughed with Him ? Has He never laughed at your silly ways or made you see the funny side ? He has with me, often !After all, just what have we got to be serious or miserable about when He has blotted out all our sins, and saved us, and made us inheritors of His Kingdom. I look forward to seeing YOU in heaven, for we shall have much to laugh over when we share the slapstick events of our lives.

When reading my first book one lady said that she laughed so much at something I related, that tears ran down her face, When God saw it happen can you doubt that He laughed too, or that He thinks of it sometimes with a big smile on His wonderful face ?

Try to see the funny side of life, enjoy life. Laughter is good for you, and part of the joy of The Lord.

Christian love…   Gerald Gossage.

I Still Travel “The Long Road of Miracles”.

Some may know that I was rushed to Musgrove Hospital early in February, and following a “Scan” it was discovered that I had a tumour growing in my brain, and it was bleeding.I was in hospital for some time, and have been put on steroids..I know that many people have been praying for me, and I was to thank all those who did, and to share my news about Our Wonderful Lord God and what He has done.

In mid-June I had a second “Scan” , and waited (not very patiently) for the result, and felt that The Lord was smiling at me and saying “ just you wait”. When the interview finally came, the doctor said “I don’t know what you have done, but it is the best news possible, There is no tumour there, it has gone, the gland is back to normal size and now there is nothing wrong ”.He said “my colleagues and I had decided that we would have to operate to remove the growth going up through the nose, but there is nothing there to remove. I want to make one important test and then you can go home cured”. He later phoned me to say the test shows that I could come off steroids at once, everything is back to normal”.

I Know That It Is My Lord Jesus Who Has Healed Me ! Please , please Thank Him for the answer to our prayers.

Now, let me tell you an old story about an Irish woman who was always telling tales and gossip about other people. One day she found out that one of her tales had caused a great deal of trouble, and hurt a number of people. For the first time she felt dreadfully sorry and being a good Roman Catholic she visited the priest to confess what she had done and ask what she must do.She was told that as a penance she must go to the market the next day and buy two chickens, and as she walked home with them she was to pluck them. When she had done this she was to go back to the priest to be told what she must do next.

The simple woman did as she was told and returned to the priest who told her to go and find every feather she had plucked from those two chickens. It was an impossible task she found.

(The Bible’s letter of James Ch3) says that the tongue is a little member of the body but has very great power. We can never know what influence our speech can have on other people. That Irish woman caused trouble with it, So can we. BUT the Holy Spirit can use our communications with God and others to perform His miracles of goodness, and, like scattered feathers, we cannot know just what our words and prayers will achieve. .Pray that your words will bless not cause unhappiness, and Never be careless in your prayers, you are communicating with the greatest power in the universe, and with one who loves to hear everything that comes from your heart.

Thanks for your love and prayers. Gerald Gossage

Eastertime Wasted?

(an Easter Poem) by Gerald Gossage

 

The tearful women lit their candles

Moving silently in soft trod sandles.

Each had planned what they would find

And went collecting each item in mind.

Water for washing poured into a skin,

The towels, and a garment to wrap Him in.

Two basins, one to wash the blood away

Ointment and scent, to last many a day.

So many things they have to carry;

It would soon be dawn, so they must hurry.

Wrapping up warm they went into the night

Through darkened streets that showed no light.

As dawn broke, City gates opened wide

Pass shadowy soldiers they try to hide.

Down to the Garden, and down to the tomb,

How would they open that great door stone ?

Would anyone help them ? Dare they ask ?

Could they accomplish their compassionate task ?

Then descending the steps: They stood there in shock.

The door was open, they’d moved the rock.

Where was their Jesus ? There’s no one inside.

The grave clothes were there, but nothing beside !

Tears get worse if you think He’s not risen

So this Easter capture a quite new vision.

Don’t work and live as if He was dead

There’s a glorious future with Him ahead.

He made you, He loves you, get to know Him as friend

And He will be with you right up to the end.

____________________

Where’s Your Target?

There are things that your friends get up to that you may never have known about. I would never have guessed that a friend of mine was interested in archery until it came out in conversation. Keen on telling me about his hobby I discovered that he had several bows, and belonged to a group who practiced every week.

He showed me how to hold a bow, but seemed very reluctant to let me use an arrow. However I wanted to “have a go” and finally shot an arrow, missing the tree I had aimed at; the arrow disappeared, and my friend was cross at the loss of his arrow. “You never shoot unless you have a proper target” he told me, and I have remembered that ever since..

As Christians sometimes we lack a “Proper Target” . It is not just going to church, Communing with God, Reading God’s Word. Turning our Faith into action.

We need to “Look where we are going”. Those who are committed to -, believe on,- the Lord Jesus Christ are on a journey to Heaven, That is your target, look to it, aim for it. This world is just a testing ground to prepare us for this our desired destination.We are only here for a short period of time, Heaven is forever and ever and so wonderful. Yet vast numbers of people are only interested in having a shoot, and they will end up hitting nothing. And loosing everything. They need a proper target, Our target is to be with Jesus now and forever.

“Forever with The Lord, Amen so let it be. Life from the dead is in that word = immortality. Here in this body penned, absent from Him I rove, yet nightly shift my moving tent a day’s march nearer Heaven.” (hymn)

Although the Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God, the real you is not your earthly body, which will be lost when we die. The real you is spirit which goes on after we die (Like “God is a Spirit” ) We shall be given a new and different body when Jesus comes back again. So Heaven is a spiritual place, it is real but does not have the disadvantages of our present world.

The Bible has lots of information about Heaven, and what it is like. No more tears, sickness or death. no need of lighting for God is light. And much else.

Jesus said “I go to prepare a place for you”. We have no idea what that place will be like, but like Christmas presents I feel sure that we will be thrilled when the unwrapping takes place. Instead of the problems of this world, think about your eternal future, Heaven.

Being welcomed home by The Father, seeing Jesus, praising God in the Spirit. Being one with all the saints as your mass of friends. Oh! What a future you have before you. What a target we aim for. Forever with The Lord .

See You There…. Gerald Gossage.

Without Me?

I was only fifteen when I was employed at a Motor-bike garage to deal with customers and help out with clerical work. One of my first tasks every morning was to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea for the boss and their only mechanic when they arrived. I arrived one bitterly cold morning to find the taps frozen up and no water to make tea. When the boss arrived I told him, and he calmly told me to go upstairs and get the kettle. There was a tap in the yard fixed to the wall, and I came back with the kettle to see the boss draping pieces if old oily rags over the outside tap, after which he poured what I thought was water, but soon smelt was petrol all over the rags. He made me stand well back, and said “you don’t see me doing what I am doing, and don’t ever do this yourself”.

Lighting a match he allowed it to burn briefly then threw it onto the petrol soaked rags. With a great ‘woomph’ it fired the rags, and burned for several minutes. Then knocking the burning rags off with a tyre lever, he used another old rag to turn the tap, and out flowed the water for our kettle and cupper ‘

Without the boss we would not have had our morning tea. All through my life I have remembered this Bible text “Without Me” said Jesus “you can do nothing”.

In Mark ch4 and Luke 5 we have the story of Jesus teaching the crowd by the lake side. When the people pressed close upon Him He looked around, and saw two fishing boats. So He got into the one, which was Simon’s, and Jesus could now sit and continue to teach the people. It seems that Jesus always knows the best solution to a situation. When Jesus finished teaching He told Simon to pull away from the shore and start fishing. Simon, and every fisherman right up to today knows that the fish can only be caught in the dark, at night. Simon did not want to let his nets down at this time, they had not even caught anything fishing all that night. But when the boss says something, you do it, even though you think it’s a crazy idea. The result was that Simon caught so many fish his boat was full up and nearly sinking under the weight, they called the other boat to come and help, and that too was filled right up and almost sinking.“Without Me you can do nothing” Jesus says. That is true ! but With Him the Results are just fantastic ! How can I say this ? Well, I have seen for myself so many real miracles just likethis one and they were all done by His gracious hand, while I could do nothing, theyleave me just full of wonder and praise.And I want others to know how great your God is.

Sincerely yours Gerald Gossage