The Conclusion of the matter

 The conclusion of the matter

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

“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.

I believe there is a God. Furthermore I believe what the writer of Ecclesiastes is saying here about Him. If I am wrong and God doesn’t exist. I will have lived a good life. A happy life.

If on the other hand I am right then many people in this world have a lot to fear. 

What about you dear reader. What do you believe about God?

Please think about it.

How about you?

 How about you?

The Psalmist writes,

"I will extol the LORD at all times; 

his praise will always be on my lips. 

My soul will boast in the LORD; 

let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 

Glorify the LORD with me; 

let us exalt his name together." 

                                        Psalm 34:1-3.

If nothing else the New Testament shows Jesus and his apostles experienced all that it is to be human. They attended weddings. The followed the rules set down in the Torah. They interacted with people of all walks of life.

They were also beaten, thrown in prison all but one dying for their faith. Yet through all of this they praised God. They praised him not only in the good times, but after they’d been beaten and while they were in prison.

They praised God because they knew that even in their darkest hour God was with them. 

How about you, if you profess to be a true Christian, a true follower of Christ Jesus, do you praise God in the good times and in the bad?

Please think about it. 

Believe and Confess

 Believe and Confess

The apostle 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.

This is as simple as it gets. The apostle Paul states that if you “confess with your mouth “Jesus in Lord” and believe in you heart God raised him from the dead you will be saved.

So the question becomes have you done this?

Please think about it.

God gives us a choice

  God gives us a choice

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.  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son". John 3:16-18

The sole purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was to save each individual from their sins and to offer each individual the way to heaven. To give each individual a choice. 

Jesus saying

 ..."I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

A statement you can believe or reject.

What I would say however before you make a decision is to take time to study the New Testament, pray and ask God if it is true.

Please think about it.

Joshua's choice

  Joshua’s choice

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.

When we become Christians. True followers of Christ Jesus we are asked to make similar choices to the Israelites. Our Gods in this day and age are different than the Israelites. Our gods are materialism, wealth, sex, and many others. All of which we must be willing to give up when we accept Christ as our saviour.

We must believe in faith that God exists and will help us change our life around.

The writer of Hebrews telling 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. 

Do you believe this?

Do you serve the LORD?

Please think about it.

Something very hard

 Something very hard

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

"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.

Faith in anything can be a hard thing. Yet scientist do it all the time. They see something is happening and come up with a theory as to what is causing it. Many such theorise are not solved in the scientist life time. Even Einstein went to the grave having some of what he postulated unproven. Still he knew from what was happing that his theory was correct.

It’s the same with those who believe in God. The Psalmist states,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands." 

                                                                 Psalm 19:1

Robert Brault stated.

"God left so many fingerprints at the scene of Creation that you wonder — does He want to be found, or does He want to be stopped?" Robert Brault.

We only have to look around us to see Gods handiwork. The universe from the greatest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle are mathematically perfect. Arranged in such away that life as we know it can exist.

This tells me there is a Creator God who made it all.

Still that being said it requires faith to believe this, and that is for many a very hard thing.

Please think about it. 

Bet without hesitation

  Bet without hesitation

The apostle Paul wrote,

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Simply put this is the unapologetic view of Christians. We believe the words of Jesus as quoted in John’s gospel. 

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6.

If we as Christians are wrong then no one has anything to fear. If we are right then the rest of the world has at the very least something very important to think about.

Blaise Pascal wrote,

"Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists." Blaise Pascal

Please think about it.

The reality of God

 The reality of God

Jesus said,

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7,8.

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“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

You must have faith that there is a God in order to find Him. If you say emphatically there is no God. More likely than not you will not even search for Him or evidence of His existence. 

Ben Zion Bokser wrote,

"I have not seen the robin but I know he is there because I heard him singing through my window from the tree-top outside.

I have not seen God.  But I have looked at my child's eyes, and have been overwhelmed by the miracle of unfolding life.

I have watched the trees bedeck themselves with new garbs of green in the spring, and have been stirred by the miracle of continual rebirth.

I have looked at the stars, and have been overcome by the miracle of the grandeur and majesty of the universe.

I know that God exists, because I have heard the song of His presence from all the tree-tops of creation."

For me it is inconceivable that the universe we live in was not made by God." Ben Zion Bokser

The Psalmist said,

"The heavens declare

The heavens and the skies

  The heavens and the skies 

"How many are your works, O LORD! 

In wisdom you made them all;

 the earth is full of your creatures." 

                                                                Psalm 104:24.

George Washington Carver said,

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." George Washington Carver.

Sadly there are many in the world that don’t “tune in”. These are men and women who refuse, no matter how good the evidence choose to ignore what the Psalmist states,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands." 

                                                                  Psalm 19:1.

They don’t even believe the scientists 

Dr. Arno Penzias,

"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 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics 

William Philips,

“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it" William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics states,

Werner Heisenberg states,

“The first gulp from the glass of natural science will make you an atheist,

but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you” Werner Heisenberg. father of Quantum Mechanics, Nobel prize winner in Physics 

Even Stephen Hawking arguably one of the brightest minds of the twentieth century said,

“The universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us" Stephen Hawking.

That being said believing in God is an act of faith. And for many having faith in anything particularly God is a very difficult thing.

Please think about it.

How to be saved

 How to be saved

Jesus speaking about 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.

The apostle Paul writes,

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

I've heard it said that the way we get to heaven is if your good deeds out weigh your bad deeds you get into heaven.

Christians do not believe this. We do not believe you can live a life good enough to enter heaven. C. S. Lewis said,

"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.

The criminal on the cross with Jesus proves your good deeds don’t have to outweigh your bad deeds to get to heaven. You simply have to confess your sins and ask God’s forgiveness. The book of acts records,

“But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

This criminal did what the apostle John told us to do.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  1John 1:9.

He did what the apostle Paul told us we must do,

"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."  Romans 10:9-11

So the question comes down to, Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of all who believe in Him? 

Please think about it.

Living by the words of Jesus

  Living by the words of Jesus

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

As Christians we have no right to judge people. Especially where they will spend eternity. If we as Christians come across as judgmental people will turn away from us.

Billy Graham the late American evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                                   Billy Graham

It is only by showing love to those around us that we will win souls for Christ. We would not like people judging us therefor we should not judge others.  Jesus made things clear when He 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.

If you consider yourself a Christian are you living by these words of Jesus?

Please think about it.

Do you truly have faith

  Do you truly have faith?

Jesus said,

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

Are you a true worshipper of God? Do you worship God in spirit and in truth?

There are many in our society here in North America who claim to be Christians who claim to be worshippers of Christ Jesus who are not true worshippers.

They may have gone to church all their lives and know what to say and when to say it. They may be graduates of Bible schools. They may have read the Bible many times. They may even be standing in the pulpit.

They may have even said the sinners prayer. But as the evangelist Leonard Ravenhill put it,

“The sinners prayer has sent more people to hell than all the bars in America.” Leonard Ravenhill.

The fact of the matter is you can say all the prayers you want but if your faith is not truly rooted in a belief in God and Christ Jesus you are not truly a Christian. You are not a true believer in Christ Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                                    Hebrews 11:1

“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.

Ultimately no one can tell someone else if they are truly saved. That is between God and the individual.

So my question to those reading this do you truly have faith in God?

          Please think about it.

Live Free

  Live Free

The apostle Peter wrote,

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God." 1 Peter 2:16.

With all the freedoms we here in North America enjoy it is easy to use those freedoms to cover up evil.

Here we have laws that guarantee our freedom of speech. Thus we can within reason say anything we want. That being said, there are men and women particularly in the political and religious communities that say things that are wrong or blatant lies. Then threaten those who try to correct them with libel. Saying it’s their right to free speech that allows them to say what they did.

At the same time there are those who would use the freedom they have to take away the rights of others. This is especially I find used by those calling themselves Christians. Who would seek to restrict the freedoms of people who’s lifestyle they disagree with.

As Christians we have do not have the right to restrict the rights of those we disagree with. Jesus said,

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20.

It is our job as believers in Christ Jesus to go out in love and reach people for Christ. If we are trying to restrict others rights we will never win them for Christ.

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.

You dear reader would not like your rights and freedoms restricted. But by trying to restrict the rights and freedoms of others you are giving them the right to try and restrict you rights.

The late American Evangelist Billy Graham wisely said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                             Billy Graham

Please think about it.

The Lord is my Helper

  The Lord is my helper

In the book or Hebrews we read,

“So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6

In the book of Psalms we read,

“The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1.

As Christians. As true believers in Christ Jesus we have confidence that no matter what happens to us, God will be with us.

In the apostle Paul goes as far as stating,

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21.

If you consider yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus you need to embrace the above scriptures. For in doing so it gives us peace of mind that God is in control.

Please think about it.

Where will you place your bet?

  Where will you place your bet?

In Ecclesiastes we read,

"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.

I try not to debate the existence of God. For me God exists and that’s all there is to it. If you are willing, you can find proof about the existence of God through science. There are many Nobel prize winners in various areas of science that believe in God because of the work they have done in science.

William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics said,

“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it" William Philips Nobel prize winning Physicist.

Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics Nobel prize winner in physics

"The first gulp from the glass of natural science will make you an atheist,

but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you” Werner Heisenberg.

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 list goes on and on.

That being said. I can quote from hundreds of well educated, brilliant men and women who believe in God and it wont matter if you the reader do not believe in God. 

Jesus speaking about himself gives us both hope and a warning when he 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.  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son". John 3:16-18

Blaise Pascal wrote,

"Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists." Blaise Pascal.

Where will you place your bet?

Please think about it.

So in everything

 So in everything

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.

The way I see things is that if a Christian truly believes that we are to do to others what we would want others to do to us then we have to tell the world around us about Jesus.

The most important thing in the life of a Christian is knowing Christ as his or her personal saviour. That is why Christians must follow the words of Jesus who said,

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.

Jesus never told us to impose our faith on someone. He simply said make disciples of all nations. 

You cannot make true disciples if you are trying to impose or force your faith on them. Those who hear about the saving grace of Christ Jesus must choose to for themselves if the message is true or not. They must make that step of faith and believe in Him.

The writer of Hebrews states,

“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.

Truly believing in God is an act of faith on the part of the individual. Without that faith it is impossible to please God.

Do you believe in God and the saving grace that comes through Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Believing in God

 Believing in God

“You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart.” 

                                                           Jeremiah 29:13

As the old year passes away. I firmly believe that all people need to take some time to seek out the truth about God and what He means to them.

For me I have no doubt that God exists and will show Himself to all those who earnestly seek Him. True this takes a leap of faith but that’s what God requires.

In Hebrews we read,

"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

Faith defined as,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope 

for and certain of what we do not see."  

                                                                 Hebrews 11:1.

I think God requires us to have faith because people who have faith in anything are the strongest of believers. People who would literally go to the grave for what they believe in.

So my question to you dear reader is... Do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

Are you talking about Jesus?

  Are you talking about Jesus?

The Psalmist writes,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; 

"let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth." Psalm 96:10-13.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing what the Psalmist is telling us to do?

Are you saying to those around you “the LORD reigns” and that He will one day judge all people with equity?

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,

"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.

As believers in Christ Jesus it is important that we tell the world about the saving grace that come from God through Christ Jesus. That they need to call on the name of Jesus. 

The apostle 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.

So if you claim to be a Christian are you telling those around you about Jesus?

Please think about it.

Do you know the Lord?

  Do you know the Lord?

In the Gospel of Luke we read this annunciation to the Shepherds,

"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord." 

                               Luke 2:11

This is the reason that Jesus came to this earth. To save all who would believe in Him from their sins.

Near the end of Luke’s gospel we read, of this interaction between Jesus and the two men who were crucified with Him. Luke records,

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

The criminal that believed in Jesus, did what we all must do I’m sure without any prompting. He confessed his sins directly to Jesus and asked Him to remember him when he entered His kingdom.

This man had no chance to do any good works as his life would soon be over. 

The apostle Paul writes,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9.

In the book of Romans Paul states,

"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."  Romans 10:9-11.

That criminal probably as his last act in this world did all that the apostle Paul states we must do. He accepted the free gift of God’s grace by confessing Jesus is Lord. 

He put his trust in Christ and thus would be with Jesus in Heaven.

Do you know the Lord? 

Please think about it.

The light of the world

  The light of the world

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12.

Jesus here claims to be “the light of the world”. 

Stating that “whoever follows him will never walk in darkness but have the light of life”.

Jesus did make some very powerful statements about Himself.

Earlier John’s gospel records Him as saying,

"Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.  

But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.  

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.  

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.  

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.  

For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:35-40

Jesus speaking of Himself in John chapter three  states,

"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. 

The soul purpose of Jesus coming to this earth is to light the way to heaven and life eternal.

Do you believe in Jesus? 

Do you believe He gives life eternal to all who believe in Him?

Please think about it.