A first hand account

  A first hand account

The apostle Peter writes,

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  

For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." 2 Peter 1:19-18. 

Here is a first hand account about Jesus and a voice heard by the disciples saying “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am will please,”

Anyone reading this has to decide for themselves if it true of false. If false it is a monumental lie that has lasted millennia and deceived billions of people through the centuries. 

If it is true as I believe it is. Then we need to consider following Jesus.

C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity wrote,

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. 

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. 

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. 

You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis.

Please think about it.

Judged by what we know

  Judged by what we know

The apostle Paul writes,

"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  

(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) Romans 2:13-15.

I’ve been asked many times what happens to those people who have not heard the gospel message? 

The above message is the apostle Paul’s answer.

First he states that it is those who hear and obey the law who will be declared righteous.

Then in notes when the gentiles who do not have the law do by nature things required by the law it will be they will get to heaven.

God who is just will judge everyone justly. The individual will only be judged by what they know and do. It’s that simple.

So the question becomes are you following the teachings of Christ and obeying what God commands us to do?

Please think about it.

Faithful forever

  Faithful forever

The Psalmist writes,

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever. Psalm 146:5-6.

Here is a simple statement. If you believe in God. If your help comes from God. God will remain faithful to you forever.

The Apostle Paul writes,

“Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, 

he will remain faithful,

for he cannot disown himself." 

                                              2 Timothy 2:11-13. 

What the apostle Paul is saying here is. If we are faithful to the point of death we will live with him. If we endure for the sake of Christ we will reign with Christ. If we disown Christ he will also disown us. 

Then Paul notes, If we are unfaithful to Christ. He remains faithful, because he cannot disown himself.

Are you faithful to God?

Please think about it.

A Trustworthy saying

  A trustworthy saying

Jesus said,

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34.

The apostle Paul writes,

“Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, 

he will remain faithful,

for he cannot disown himself." 

                                              2 Timothy 2:11-13. 

Where do you stand with God? Are you living for Christ? Are you willing to give up everything for Christ?

Please think about it.

What is your choice?

  What is your 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.

This is a very simple statement. We cannot be lukewarm about what we believe. Either we follow God or we don’t.

So What is your choice?

Please think about it.

Do you remember

 Do you remember?

The Psalmist states,

"On my bed I remember you; 

I think of you through the watches of the night. 

Because you are my help, 

I sing in the shadow of your wings. 

My soul clings to you; 

your right hand upholds me." 

                                                   Psalm 63:6-8.

If you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus, do you do what the psalmist is saying here?

Do you think of God night and day?

Is God your helper?

Do you sing to God?

Does your soul truly cling to God?

Do you remember God in good times and bad?

Please think about it.

Is Jesus the Way?

  Is Jesus the way?

In John’s gospel we read,

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36

Jesus speaking of himself said,

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

These are pretty definite statements about Jesus. C. S. Lewis wrote,

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say.

 A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Thus the choice is up to you dear reader. Is Jesus the Son of God, The Saviour of the world or is he something else.

Please think about it.

A day will come

  A day will come

In the book of Psalms we read,

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10.

One day there will come a time when Christ will return to judge the world. At that time our choice to follow God and accept the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus will be over.

Billy Graham the late American evangelist said,

“The Bible says today is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation... But there will come a time when it will be too late for you”. Billy Graham.

The apostle Paul wrote,

"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 the question becomes have you accepted the salvation that comes from God through Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Show mercy do not judge

 Show mercy do not judge

In the book of Micah we read,

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

The book of James states,

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  

because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" James 2:12,13

Jesus tells us,

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7.

Jesus warns us,

“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.

All of this boils down to what Matthew records Jesus as saying when he says,

"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 truly believe the Bible is the word of God then the question becomes are you acting on these words?

If you are not then you may be responsible for turning people away from God. And possibly to a Christless eternity.

Please think abou

Confess, believe, trust,

  Confess, believe, trust.

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.

The apostle Paul says it all. The way we get to heaven is confessing with out mouth “Jesus is Lord”, and believing with our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved. He then adds “anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

So the question becomes, do you believe this?

Please think about it.

Through God's saving grace

  Through God’s saving grace

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

Do you believe in God? If you were to die today would you enter heaven?

The apostle John speaking about Jesus tells us,

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” John 1:11-13.

The apostle Paul tells us,

"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

It is our belief in God, our belief in the saving grace that comes through Christ Jesus that gets us to heaven. It’s that simple.

So have you accepted the saving grace that comes though Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Know only to God

  Known only to God

Isaiah the prophet wrote,

“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 

“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8.

Life is fleeting. We live for a handful of years then pass on. All our possessions going into the hands of others. All our accomplishments eventually forgotten. 

I believe it is on the monument to the unknown soldier, a soldier that represents all dead soldiers they were unable to identify, that the words “Known only to God” are written.

One day that will be our fate. One day we will be laid to rest. Initially we will be remembered by family and friends. But as the years pass on our names and all we did no matter how important or great an achievement will be lost to time. Such is life.

That being said we will however be known to God. The question is will you be spending eternity with God?

John’s gospel quotes Jesus speaking of himself as giving us all a choice 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

The apostle John speaking of Jesus states,

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.

So, are you a child of God?

Please think about it. 

 

Living the Godly life

  Living a Godly life

James the half brother of Jesus writes,

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  

Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13-18.

James here contrasts earthly wisdom with Heavenly wisdom. He notes that bitterness and selfish ambition do not come from God.

Wisdom that comes from God is “pure peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Individuals who possess this kind of wisdom according to James, “sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness.” 

If we claim to be believers in Christ Jesus then we must take a look at our lives. We must take a look at our actions and see if we are exhibiting wisdom from God. 

If we are not then we need to make the changes immediately.

We must cry out to God in prayer, and ask Him to show us what we must do to live a life as close as possible to the ideal life He would have us live.

Please think about it.

Do you praise God?

 Do you praise God?

The Psalmist writes,

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;

 I will tell of all your wonders. 

I will be glad and rejoice in you; 

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

                                                                             Psalm 9:1,2.

I think quite often we forget to praise God. We ask Him for many things and he grants us many things and we listen to praise music. All of which is good.

But quite often we forget to praise God ourselves.

The Psalmist writes,

Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

 praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD. 

                              Psalm 150

So do you yourself praise God?

Please think about it.

Is He your Shepherd?

  Is He your Shepherd?

The Psalmist writes,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul.

 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” 

                                                                                              Psalm 23.

Is what the psalmist says here true in your life?

Please think about it.

On which cross are you?

 On which cross are you

In Luke’s gospel we read this about Christ’s crucifixion,

"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 first criminal wanted Jesus to do things his way, perform a miracle and get them off the cross. 

The second recognized Jesus for who is was (the Saviour of all who would believe in him). He then went on to confess his sin. To which Jesus said “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.

This is the way the apostles John and Paul tells us we get to heaven. John writing,

"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

The apostle Paul writing,

"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 my question to you dear reader is, On which cross are you?

Please think about it.

Praising God for His salvation

  Praise God for His salvation

The apostle Peter wrote,

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  1Peter 1:3-5.

This is something anyone who truly believes in Christ Jesus can be thankful for. God through Jesus Christ has given us a “new birth” “a living hope” an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade” 

No matter what the world may do to us. As believers in Christ Jesus we have the assurance of life everlasting with God when our life on this earth is over.

Do you have this assurance?

Please think about it.

The Kindness of God our Saviour

  The kindness of God our Saviour

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:4,5

To the Ephesians Paul wrote,

“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.

C. S. Lewis wrote,

"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.

From a Christian stand point we cannot live lives good enough to get to heaven. That being said, God understood this and sent Jesus Christ to save us. 

The apostle Paul wrote,

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24.

Paul stating,

"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.

Thus my question to you the reader; do you believe this?

Please think about it.

Gods existence and Salvation

 Gods existence and Salvation

    In the book of Genesis we read,

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 

And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning the first day." Genesis 1:1-5.

The Bible doesn’t debate whether God exists or not. Primarily I would imagine because it was written to believers and believers have no need to debate Gods existence.

The Bible states that God created the heavens and the earth. Again without debate. 

Then we come to the gospel of John where he writes, 

“In the beginning was the Word, (Jesus) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14

John makes it clear that the creator of heaven and earth came to earth. To save mankind from their sins. 

John recording Jesus speaking about himself saying

"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.

John also notes Jesus warned,

“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 3:18. 

John writing in his first letter,

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

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1John 1:9-10.

Thus the choice is up to you dear reader. Do you believe what I have just written?

Please think about it.

Speaking up for the poor

  Speaking up for the poor

In the book of proverbs we read,

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8,9.

Here is a clear directive from God to all who believe in Him. 

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

 for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly;

 defend the rights of the poor and needy.” 

                                                  Proverbs 31:8,9.

Here is something we all of us need to get into our brains. We are to help the needy in any way we can. Speaking up for those in need means confronting our political leaders. Telling them they need to implement programs that will offer a living wage, free access to good health care, food and affordable housing. In short giving the poor basic human rights.

Jesus stood up for the rights of the poor. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells the story of the rich man who had everything this world had to offer but would not help a poor man. The result was the rich man ended up in hell while the poor man ended up in heaven. This should be a warning to all who are rich and to all who are not standing up for the rights of the needy.

Thus my questions to you; Are you speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves. For those in need?

Are the politicians and religious leaders you support standing up obeying what is said in Proverbs 31:8,9?

Please think about it.