Showing our Love

  Showing our love

In the book of James we read,

"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.

One of the best ways to show our love for someone, is to help them in their time of need. It doesn’t really matter why a person came to be in need. All that matters is that we help them to the extent that we are able. And as believers in Christ Jesus we should be doing so in the name of Christ.

While the Talmud is not a Christian book it has many things Christians should take to heart, that line up perfectly with Christian teaching.

One such teaching is this,

“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.

There are many, many wealthy Christians in the world today that do help those in need.

    Sadly there are many wealthy Christians, and even more sadly, men and women calling themselves Christian pastors and evangelist, who are not helping the poor and needy.

That being said God will ultimately judge all of us. And here’s another quote from the Talmud to think about,

"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, "Have you believed in God?"  Or "Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  "He is asked: "have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?" The Talmud.

If this is true then what would your answer be?

Please think about it.

What god do you serve?

What god do you serve?
“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.
If you are a Christian which god are you following?
Many claiming to be Christians say they love God but fail to put God first in their lives. I’ve known many who skip church to go golfing or to a sporting event. I’ve known many who work excess overtime that they don’t really need instead of going to church.
There are many who skip a mid week bible study or service and do other things that are not of God.
Where do you stand?
How important is God in your life?
Are you truly willing to serve God and put Him first in your life?
Please think about it.

Our desire

Our desire

I desire to do your will, O my God; 

your law is within my heart. 

I proclaim righteousness in the assembly; 

I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord.

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; 

I speak your faithfulness and salvation. 

I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

                                                                                               Psalm 40: 8-10

This should be our desire to proclaim the love of God to everyone. To use our skills our talents and abilities to tell the world about Jesus. Even if that world is just the people we work with or the person next door.
The salvation message is not one to be held secretly in our heart. It is to be told to all who will listen.
We shouldn’t force it on anyone but we should be willing to be a witness for Christ at any time in word and deed.
People should know we are Christians by the way we live and act.
Francis of Assisi said,
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
                                                                                             Francis of Assisi
Quite often I’ve found that the way we act in both word and deed around none Christians sends a message to those around us about our faith in Christ be it positive or negative.
We need to be aware of this and make sure our actions are always showing our faith in the best possible way.
Think about it.