A blessing for today

 A blessing for today.

In the book of Numbers God gives Moses this blessing to say over the Israelites,

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" 

                                                                            Numbers 6:24-26

Today this blessing is spoken by many pastors over the congregation. It is as relevant today as it was then. It is a blessing I would like all those who read my blogs to accept today. 

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" 

                                                                            Numbers 6:24-26.

May God bless all who read this blog today,

                                                            Neal

Do you believe it?

 Do you believe it.

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”  Hebrews 1:1,2.

Here is if you think about it, is an incredible claim. The writer of Hebrews is saying, Jesus is the Son of God through whom the universe was made.

The apostle John writes,

"In the beginning was the Word, 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 walked and talked with Jesus. So if anyone could know the truth about Jesus it was John.

Thus anyone reading what John wrote must make the choice. Is John telling a lie or is he telling the truth. There is no middle ground.

Who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.

Enter with thanksgiving

  Enter with thanksgiving

The Psalmist writes,

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to [God] and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4

When you pray and worship God do first enter Gods gates with thanksgiving and praise? Quite often when we approach God we approach Him with “a shopping basket of requests”. 

Now there is nothing wrong with asking God to help you. In the book of Philippians we read,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And they peace of God , which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7.

The way I see it we should all approach God with thanksgiving. We should thank God for all He is and all He has done and will do for us.

So when you pray do you approach God with thanksgiving in your heart?

Please think about it.

When people cry

  When people cry

The prophet Isaiah 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.

We humans are fragile beings. We live but a handful of years in this world before moving on to eternity.

The American evangelist Tony Campolo wrote,

"When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?" Tony Campolo

So how would you answer Tony’s question?

Are you certain you will be happy when everyone else is crying?

Please think about it.

Don't you know

  Don’t you know

    In the book or James we read,

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."  James 4:4.

Are you a friend to the world. Jesus make it clear we can either follow the ways of God or the ways of man.

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” Matthew 16:19-21,24.

Here in North America many calling themselves Christians want to have their feet in both worlds. Something Jesus tells us we cannot.

The choice is clear we must decide whether we are to serve Jesus or the world.

Please think about it.

All are equal before God

  All are equal before God.

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:26-28.

Here in Galatians we see that all people are equal before God. No person is above another person. There is no hierarchy within the church. There is no political affiliation for Christians. 

     We are bound together not by race, occupation wealth or lack of wealth. All, men and women are one in Christ. Our faith in Christ is our unifying force.

Please think about it.

Living your faith in word and deed

 Living your faith in word and deed

The apostle John writes,

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  

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.” 1 John 3:16-18.

Here is a very simple Christian life principle. We are to show our faith by our actions. It couldn’t be simpler than that.

So the question is, if you consider yourself a true Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you living your faith not just in words, but in your actions?

Please think about it.

A note for Valentines day

  A note for Valentines day

The apostle Paul wrote,

“Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, 

it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: 

faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

                                                                1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

This is the description of true Godly love. It is something we as Christians need to but into action every day of our life.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace

  Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace

The apostle Paul wrote,

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” 2 Timothy 2:22.

Here Paul is telling his readers to get your heart right with God. Get rid of those evil desires you have. Pursue,

Righteousness,

Faith,

Love, 

Peace,

Doing this pleases God.

So are you pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace?

Please think about it.

A Warning to the rich

  A warning to the rich

In the book of James we read,

“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  

Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  

You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.” James 5:1-6.

Now there’s nothing wrong with being rich and having a lot of material possessions. The apostle Paul tell us,

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.

It’s what you do with your wealth that is the problem. Do you use it selfishly on yourself or do you use at least a portion of it to help others.

The warning here is clearly to those who use their wealth selfishly. Those who have no compassion on the poor.

So my question is... Do you use at least a portion of what you have to help the poor?

Please think about it.

Prove your repentance

  Prove your repentance

In the book of Acts we read,

"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.  First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” Acts 26:19 20.

Here is a sure fire way of knowing someone has truly accepted Christ as their Saviour and Lord. They will turn from their evil ways. 

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." James 14-17.

A true Christian will do their best to help others, whether it’s by simply giving a few dollars to someone who’s homeless living on the street. Or through donating to agencies and churches that help the poor. Or by volunteering to work with food banks and those agencies who help the poor. Or by seeing someone be it within or outside the church who just needs a hug and a loving word.

If you claim to be a Christian are you showing the world by your love of God by the deeds you are doing?

Please think about it.

Listen Now

  Listen Now

In the book of James we read,

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  

   Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:13,14.

I know that most people reading this are Christians. That being said Christians from time to time need to rethink their priorities.

I think at times we believers in Christ Jesus become complacent. We just let life carry us along. We make plans assuming “we will have a tomorrow”. But tomorrow in this world is not guaranteed.

As a result we need to take time daily to pray to God for wisdom and guidance in all that we do. 

We also need to consider what C. T. Studd a missionary to China, India and Africa (1860-1931) wrote,

“We have only one life it will soon be past. 

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

                                                           Charles Thomas Studd.

Please think about it.

Forever Stands

 Forever stands

The Prophet Isaiah writes,

"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.

What Isaiah is saying is true. We humans are frail. We live a handful of years in this world only to pass into eternity. All the while God’s word continues on through the years, the decades, the centuries, the millennia.

There is a famous poem by an unknown author that reads,

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,

"To wear and bater all these hammers so?"

"Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye,

The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed - and hammers gone.

                                                                     Anonymous 

The word of God forever stands

Please think about it.

Choose your friend

  Choose your friend

In the book of James we read,

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."  James 4:4.

What James is saying here is if we love the various things of this world, material possessions, money, various political and secular philosophies and other things in this world that don’t line up with the teachings of the Bible, we become an enemy of God.

Jesus tells us,

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Matthew 6:24.

If we consider ourselves Christians. True followers of Christ Jesus. We need to examine what we believe and why we believe it.

We need to ask God to show us what we need to get rid of in our life and how we can best serve Him.

Why not take some time now to pray and ask God to show you how you can conform your life and lifestyle to serving Him?

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.

What do others see?

  What do others see?

Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.

As Christians we are told to let our light shine so that they may see our good deeds and praise God the Father.

Thus the question I would have for anyone who claims to be a Christian, a true follower of Christ Jesus is, When people see you do they see someone who reflects the light and love of God?

Please think carefully about it.

Walking in Gods Light

  Walking in Gods Light

The apostle John states,

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1John 1:5-7.

Do you walk in the light? Do the religious and political leaders you follow truly walk in the light?

I believe if we are following Christ correctly we and those we follow must walk in the light. We must exhibit what scripture calls “the fruit of the Spirit”. Scripture telling us,

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22,23.

So are you and the religious and political leaders you follow exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit? Are they walking in The Light?

Please think about it.  

Your life and your lifestyle

 Your life and your lifestyle

The Psalmist writes,

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4.

If you claim to be a Christian do you truly seek to dwell in the house of the Lord forever?

What is more important to you, the things of this world or the things of God?

Take a good look at your life. What is your life and lifestyle telling others? 

When others see your life do they see that you put God first?

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.

What's done for Christ

  What's done for Christ

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

“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.

In the past year I have seen several people I know pass into eternity. These were godly people whom I am certain went to heaven. That being said.

I look at all they owned. Their possessions on this earth. All are no longer theirs. They have been dispersed among family, friends and even in some cases strangers. Even the words they have spoken and the deeds they have done will one day be forgotten by most if not all people.

That being said there is an old saying that states, 

“I have one life it will soon be passed,

 only what’s done for Christ will last.”

                                                                Author unknown 

Most people will never be well known. Most people will never present what they believe to large crowds. Nor will the words they write be read by millions. Most people will live there life in quiet obscurity.

That being said, those people can tell the people around them about God and the Salvation that comes through His One and Only Son Christ Jesus. Which is all God requires of all who love Him.

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus are you telling those around you that you about the saving grace that comes from Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.