Do you confess and believe?
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.” Romans 10: 9,10
Here is a simple question in light of what the apostle Paul wrote.
Do you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart Jesus is Lord?
Please think about.
A Call to love
The apostle John wrote,
We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1John 4:19-21.
Do you love those around you? Do you show the kind of love God shows to you, unconditional love to all you meet, even those you disagree with?
The apostle John says you should.
The apostle Paul writes,
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6.
So my question to you dear reader is, do you love all you come in contact with, family, friend, or foe?
Please think about it.
Every hidden deed
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." Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
Do you fear God and keep His commandments?
Have you tried to hide things from God?
Have you sinned against God?
If so have you confessed these sins to God?
Sin if falling short of Gods ideal for your life. Doing things that are against Gods commandments.
And if you have, (and we all, if we are honest have) then there is hope for you.
The apostle John writes,
“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.
So where do you stand with God?
Please think about it.
Whoever believes
The apostle John writes,
"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.
The apostle Paul writes.
"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.
When was the last time you confessed your sins directly to God? When was the last time you admitted to God that you fall short of what God wants for your life?
Paul also writes,
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,”1 Corinthians 15:3.
As Christians we believe that Christ died for our sins. The way we see it is God reached down to man. 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.
God does not wont anyone to perish but they must believe in Christ Jesus. Jesus saying,
"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.
Do you believe this?
Please think about it.
At the bottom of the glass
In the book of Jeremiah we read,
"You will seek me
and find me
when you seek me
with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13.
An unknown author once wrote,
“Maybe the atheist cannot find God
for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.”
Author Unknown.
It’s true you must be truly searching for God in order to find Him. You must be willing to admit that what you believe is wrong. To let God show you what is right. To show you that He exists.
The proof of God is all around you,
William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics wrote,
“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it"William Philips Nobel prize winning Physicist.
Werner Heisenberg the father of Quantum Mechanics wrote,
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.
So the choice is up to you. Do you believe in God?
Please think about it.
Shama
In the book of Deuteronomy we read,
"Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4,5.
Known as the Shama prayer it is recited by Jews in the morning and the evening.
Jesus when asked,
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:36,37,38.
It is a call not to listen with your ears but to let the word of God sink in and generate a response. The kind of love the writer is talking about here is one who is acting loyally and faithfully. It is faithful obedience to an individuals relationship with God.
What is your relationship with God?
Is Christ the Lord of your life?
Please think about it.
Not condemn
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.
I am someone who is not in favour of so called ‘hell fire and brimstone’ preachers. I say this because I don’t think yelling and screaming that someone is going to hell bothers non-believers because many times they don’t believe in hell.
In her book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee writes,
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)....” Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Harper Lee is right. People calling themselves Christians have probably done as much if not more to turn people away from Christ than those who are not Christians.
In the name of Christ many try to take away the rights or restrict the rights of those they consider morally wrong or those they disagree with. You cannot legislate morality. Nor did Jesus and his disciples ever try to do this.
Jesus and his apostles lived in a society that was as least if not more diverse than our twenty-first century society. Yet they didn’t try to overthrow the Roman government.
Instead they sat down with those they disagreed with and presented the good news of Jesus Christ, much to the dismay it seems of the religious leaders of their day.
From my point of view I believe we as 21st century believers, especially those of us who live in the western democracies need to follow their example.
We need to stop yelling at those we disagree with. Stop telling and them they are on the way to hell and point them to heaven.
Jesus speaking of himself said why he came to this earth. John’s gospel recording,
"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.
This is what we a believers in Christ Jesus must always remember. Our job is to save souls for Christ. NOT, condemn them or try to restrict their rights.
Please think about it.
For each of us
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.
C. S. Lewis puts it this way.
"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less." C.S. Lewis.
As Christians we believe you cannot live a life good enough to get into heaven. Isaiah the Prophet put it this way.
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6.
That is why we believe Jesus came into this world to take upon himself the sins of all those who would believe in Him.
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.
The primary reason for Jesus to come to this world is simple. To save the sinner and all of us at times sinned and fallen short of Gods ideals for our life.
Thus the question becomes do you believe this?
Please think about it.
A new birth
The Psalmist writes,
"The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
Psalm 118:14.
The apostle Peter tells us,
"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.
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 do you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord”?
Do you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead?
Please think about it.
His Love endures forever
In the book of Psalms we read,
"Give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good; his love endures forever.
Let Israel say:
"His love endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say:
"His love endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say:
"His love endures forever."
Psalm 118:1-4.
Simple question, do you fear the LORD?
Do you give thanks to the LORD,
Do you believe Gods love endures forever?
Please think about it.
Worship the Lord alone
Jesus when tempted by Satan said,
“...“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’’” Luke 4:8.
In the book of Exodus we read,
"You shall have no other gods before me."Exodus 20:3.
You may say in the twenty first century we don’t have other gods but we do. Our gods may not be carved idols. But people today around the world worship every thing from trees and animals to money to men and women, and things they believe to be true on the internet.
God however makes it clear we are to have only one God. That being The LORD God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Joshua speaking to the Israelite said,
"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.
Be coming a Christian a follower of Christ Jesus and true believer in God means a complete breaking away of those things that you, even without noticing it, are your gods.
Are you willing to do this?
Please think about it,
What will God Say?
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.
Without a doubt this is the definition of true Christian love. The kind of Love we as believers in God. As believers in Christ Jesus are asked to show.
Do you show this kind of Love in your daily life?
On the day you pass on into eternity will the people who knew you say you loved as Christ did.
Will God say it also?
Please think about it.
The reason Jesus came
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5.
It is universally believed by Christians that Isaiah the prophet here is speaking about Jesus. His words giving us the purpose of Christ’s ministry.
Jesus speaking of himself stating,
"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 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.” Romans 10:9,10.
Do you believe this?
Please think about it.
If we confess with our mouth
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.
We humans are a frail bunch. The strongest person in the world. The healthiest person in the world have usually past on to eternity before their hundred and fifth birthday.
All of our accomplishments if we are lucky will be written down in a history book destined to accumulate dust on a shelf. Or lost among the myriad of information on the world wide web.
Who remembers good men like William Hamilton Merritt (July 3rd 1793-July 5th 1862) People living around the Niagara region in Canada see his name on many things but do they know who he is and what he did?
Who remembers Charles Lightoller (30 March 1874 – 8 December 1952). If they remember him from the Titanic. Do they even know he rescued 127 British servicemen from the beaches of Dunkirk during world war two in addition to doing other things for the British Admiralty during world war two.
We might remember Guglielmo Marcon (April 25, 1874-July 20, 1937) or Albert Einstein ( March 14, 1879-April 18, 1955) but how many of us know what the full extent of their contribution to human history was?
While these men in their own way were great. Their flowers have faded with the passing of time.
Their place in eternity determined.
I don’t know where any of these people are spending eternity. That is between them and God.
I do know however the way to heaven.
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.
Do you believe this?
Please think about it.
Equal
In the book of Galatians we read,
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28.
Here Paul makes it clear that we are all equal in the eyes of God. When it comes to salvation it doesn’t matter who we are.
We are not born Christian and being rich does not give us a better place in heaven. Men and women are also equal.
While we don’t have slaves today we do have workers and in Gods kingdom they are equal to the people they work for.
All get to heaven the same way. 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.
Do you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and do you truly believe this in your heart?
Please think about it.
Christ’s example to us
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.” 1John 3:16-18.
I firmly believe that it is not good enough to simply be satisfied with saying “Well I have accepted Christ as my Saviour”. We need to do more. We need to follow the example of Christ.
We may never be called to lay down our life for Christ but we can still show He is at work in our life by helping others. John states,
“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?” 1John3:17.
I think both Christians and non-Christians can agree that having food, clothing, a place to live, good medical care are basic human rights.
And while we as individual Christians may not be able to meet the needs of the poor around us, we can all do something. Helping at a food bank. Helping at a ministry that provides meals for those in need, Giving what we can to reputable charities that serve the poor.
For me helping those in need is an obligation of all Christians. The measure of how much they love Christ.
Please think about it.
Through the lens of your words and deeds
To the Corinthians the apostle Paul writes,
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Whether you like it or not if you claim to be a Christian you are an ambassador for Christ. People will judge Christ through the lense of your words and deeds.
Francis of Assisi wrote,
"The deeds you do
may be the only sermon some persons will hear today"
Francis of Assisi.
So if you claim to be a Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus what is your sermon. Your words and deeds telling those around you about Christ?
Please think about it.
Have the attitude of Christ
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14.
I believe the Christian life is about being humble before God.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8.
In the book of James we read,
"Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up."
James 4:10.
Please think about it.
Truly trusting God
The Psalmist writes,
“I wait for the LORD,
my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.”
Psalm 130:5
If you claim to be a Christian, where is your trust. Billy Graham the American evangelist wrote,
"Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do." Billy Graham.
In Proverbs we read,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5,6.
Here is a question for all who claim to be followers in Christ Jesus. Do you truly “trust in the LORD with all your heart?”
Please think about it.
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.
