The Choice is Yours

The choice is yours
The book of Joshua records,
“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.
I am a Christian. I believe in God. I believe God created the heavens and the earth. Whether he took billions of years to create the universe or six day is irrelevant to me. The fact is I believe he exists and created universe.
The apostle Paul speaking to the Athenians said,
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts 17:24-28.
I believe we only have to look around to see God’s handiwork. The Psalmist states,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

                                                                                        Psalm 19:1.
From the largest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle everything works in unity to give us life as we know it. I cannot believe this is all by chance.
Einstein said,
“Human beings vegetables  or cosmic dust. We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” Albert Einstein.
I believe that invisible player is God and that by creating such a perfectly integrated universe we can if we are willing see the handiwork of God.
That being said, I have said in previous blog posts that God did not make robots. He created human beings, individuals with freedom of thought and action. That includes not believing in God and going one’s own way.
However I also believe the writer of, Ecclesiastes who said,
“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 also believe the words of Jesus speaking of himself as recorded in the book of John 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.
Ultimately you must decide who and what you believe in. If I as a Christian am wrong then I have nothing to fear as I have in following what the Bible states will have lived a good life.
On the other hand if what I believe is true then it will have eternal consequences for all who do not believe in God.
Please think about it. 

I Believe

I Believe
"Yet to all who received him,(Jesus) 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.
Someone asked me what do I believe. That is a tall question. Defining what I believe in detail could take pages.
The Apostles creed sums most of it up when it says,
1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father      Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church(the true church, the Church universal, not the Roman Catholic church specifically): the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
11. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

That being said I believe salvation is a free gift. The apostle Paul writing,
“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.
That the way to heaven is,ultimately  an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“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
Jesus make it clear that He is the way to heaven. The gospel of John recording,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
            John 14:6,
Jesus 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.
   Paul writing to the Romans said,
“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.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God and everyone no matter who they are sins,
John noting,
“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.” 
       1 John 1:9,10.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“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
Ultimately however like I said, salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“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.
This is what I believe and all Christians believe in brief.
It however comes down to you the reader as to what you believe.
C. S. Lewis stating,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                        C. S. Lewis
Think about it.