A Way out

 A way out

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Some time ago I came across a book written by John B. Harrington published in 1958. Entitled “Essentials in Christian Faith it could have been written yesterday.

It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948. It states,

"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"

Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that  “...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 

Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."

Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4

If Paul Gallico is right and I believe he is, mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than it was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with brimstone.

   But there is away out of that lake. Jesus said,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

Are you willing to cast your burdens upon Jesus?

Please think about it.

A Christian pledge

  A Christian pledge 

"So in everything, do to others what you would have others do to you

for this sums up the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12.

I’ve listened with interest and disgust over the last little while at the debates in political circles. Circles in which Christians or at least people calling themselves Christians are being drawing into. Sadly his is very visible in the United States. A country in which many identify as Christian. 

With that in mind I felt prompted to write this the Believers Pledge.

As a believer in Christ Jesus,

I pledge...

To Love.

I Pledge...

As far as it depends on me...

To live at peace with all people.

I Pledge...

Never, Never, Never! To attack anyone...

Physically, or verbally.

Even if I vehemently disagree with them in any way.

I Pledge...

Never to demean anyone.

No matter their race, their ethnicity, their religion, or their lifestyle.

I Pledge...

As far as humanly possible,

To uphold the dignity of all whom I come in contact with.

I Pledge...

To obey the words of Christ Jesus who said,

“So in everything, do to others what you would have others do to you

for this sums up the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12.

   Please think about it.

A self admitted sinner

 A self admitted sinner

A self admitted sinner the apostle Paul wrote these words,

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  

      ‘But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15,16

C. S. Lewis states,

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” C.S. Lewis

I firmly believe that we as individuals must search our heart of hearts and in all humility admit that there is sin in our life.

Then we must turn to Jesus, recognize that he is the One and only Son of God, who died for our sins, ask him to forgive our sins and come into our hearts and lives.

For it is only through Christ that we can truly have our sins forgiven and have our lives changed. 

This is what happened to the apostle Paul.

The same apostle Paul that wrote,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Have you confessed your sins to God and accepted His forgiveness?

Please think about it. 

Show me your actions

 Show me your actions

The apostle John writes,

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.... 

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:11,17,18.

The Bible is full of admonitions to the believer to help those in need. 

While the Talmud is not a Christian book, it highlights shared principles of both Jews and Christians. Something the apostle John would understand. It reads,

“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, "Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?"  He answered, "God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love." The Talmud.

The book of James puts it this way,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" James 2:14-20

Please think about it.

Psalms, Voltaire, and Dr. Arno Penzias

 Psalms, Voltaire, and Dr. Arno Penzias

The Psalmist writes,

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” 

                                                                Psalm 14:1

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

                                                       Psalm 19:1

Voltaire wrote,

“I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist

 without a clockmaker.”

                                    Voltaire

Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics

"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan." Dr. Arno Penzias.

The universe has a creator God who has placed us in the perfect place in which life as we  know it can exist. This by itself tells me there is a God. 

I was born in the 1950's. at that time black holes, planets in other star systems, many sub atomic particles, that we know of today were unknown. It didn’t mean they didn’t exist. It just meant scientist hadn’t discovered them. 

Scientist speculated on their existence because of what they seen in the world around them, postulated a theory and quite often had to wait for science to advance to prove they existed.      Some of Eienstein’s theories were not proven until long after his death. Yet Eienstein and others like him believed in their theories. They believed that they would one day be proven. In short they had faith in their theory.

The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                          Hebrews 11:1

So it is with believers in God. We look at the orderly universe around us. We see that everything from the largest galaxy to the smallest sub-atomic particle is perfectly in sync with one another to produce life as we know it on this planet.

The conclusion we come to is that there is a Creator God behind it all.

If we are wrong we have nothing to fear. 

If we are right we enter into eternity knowing the very maker of the Universe. 

Please think about it.

To save the world

 To save the world

The writer of Ecclesiastes gives a bleak description of life writing,

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecclesiastes 1:14.

Ultimately he concludes,

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

God will judge us. For everything we have done right and wrong. 

That being said we as believers in Christ Jesus don’t believe that if our good deeds out weigh our bad deeds we will get to heaven.

We believe God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins the apostle Paul writing,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Later in his letter to the Romans Paul writes,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" Romans 10:9-13

Jesus speaking of himself said,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.

So do you believe in God?

Do you believe Jesus paid the price for your sins?

Please think about it. 

 

On your head

 On your head

In the book of Obadiah we read,

In the book of Obadiah we read,

"For the day of the LORD is near upon all nations.

As you have done, it shall be done to you;

your deeds shall return on your own head" 

                                                                         Obadiah 1:15.

This is a warning to both believers and none-believers. One day we will stand before God and answer for all we have done. But if we follow what Jesus said

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12. We have a guide as to what we should do. 

Put simply if we don’t want something done to ourselves we shouldn’t be doing it to others.

So are you doing this?

Are you doing to others what you would have others do to you?

Please think about it.

The choice you have

The Choice you have

In the book of Joshua we read,

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24: 14,15.

This is a choice we all have to make. Serve the gods of the world we live in, or serve the one true God, maker of heaven and earth.

The society in which we live in 2026 especially here in North America is a world of many gods. We may not call them gods but materialism, and the quest for luxury items are gods. Even Atheism is a god.

And the Lord God almighty. Maker of heaven and earth, gives us a choice to follow Him or them.

So the question becomes who do you worship?

Please think about it.

In my mothers womb

  In my mothers womb

The Psalmist writes,

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.

For me this is one of the scriptures I particularly like. It tells me that God knows me intimately. Right down to my DNA.

It tells me I have a God who cares for me. A God who was with me in my mothers womb. A God who knows “all the days that are ordained for me”.

Knowing this gives me comfort that no matter what happens to me God is with me. As someone has said. 

“If I die I will be with God. If I live God will be with me.”

Where is God in your life? Is God even in your life?

Please think about it.

Worship the Lord with Gladness

 Worship the Lord with Gladness

The Psalmist writes,

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100.

Here’s a call to all who believe in God. To all who believe in Christ Jesus. Shout praises to Him. Worship God with gladness.

Why should we do this? For the simple fact it is God who made us. We are his people.

Also, God’s love toward us endures forever. His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Question, do you worship God each day? 

Do you enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise?

Please think about it.

A sermon from Paul

  A sermon from Paul

For this post I’d like post the Apostle Paul’s sermon to the Athens. Paul states,

“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.   Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”  

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  

At that, Paul left the Council.  

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others” Acts 17:17-34

So my question to you dear reader, in which of the three groups are you, those who sneered, those who wanted to hear more on the subject, or those who believed.

Please think about it.

Faith in Christ

  Faith in Christ

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1.

This is perhaps the hardest thing to do. Having faith in a God we cannot see. Yet the writer of Hebrews tells us

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.

Hebrews goes on to tell us,

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:7-10.

The faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob gave them hope even though they never seen God’s provision in this life.

It’s the same for we Christians today. When we accept the salvation God offers through Christ Jesus. We may not see heaven while we live in this world. Yet we have confidence that when our time on this earth has ended we will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Do you have faith in God? Have you accepted the salvation that comes through believing in Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.