In the Morning I look to You

In the Morning I Look for You
“In the morning I look for you, My rock and my tower, I lay my prayers before you, that day and night are in me.
Before your greatness, I stand, and am unnerved, because your eye will see the thoughts that are in me.
What is it that the heart or the tongue can do, and what power is there in the spirit that is in me?
But I know you are pleased with the songs that men make, and so I shall praise you while the divine soul is in me.”
             Solomon Ibn Gabirol
I write this to those who go to church each week. Please consider it carefully.
Do you look to God each morning? Do you lay your prayers before Him? Do you praise Him?
The Psalmist wrote,

“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
Can you truly say the Lord is your Shepherd? Or, Do you see Church as a place you need to go to once a week to feel good.
Do you worship God while on your own, when there is no one around to see you?
Are you sure if you were to die today you would go to heaven?
I ask this because there are many who go to church every week who truly don’t know God. There are those who read my Blogs who even though they may go to church have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. They may not even realize they are not going to heaven.
I therefore write the following to those who go to church but do not have the assurance they are going to heaven.
The way to heaven is open to anyone who believes. It comes down to who you think Jesus is and if you believe what he said,
Jesus 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
John’s gospel records this,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
              John 14:6

   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.
Isaiah telling us,
“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
  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 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.
If you believe the above and have never formally accepted Jesus into your heart and mind perhaps now is the time. It’s as simple as saying this prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father
I believe Jesus is your one and only Son. I believe that he came to earth to die for my sins. That through His sacrificial death on the cross my sins are forgiven.
I admit I am a sinner and ask that you forgive my sins and become Lord of my life today.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
Please think about it.

A Libertine

A Libertine
“Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.” 
              Deuteronomy 15:15.

I believe it’s at St. Mary Woolnoth  an Anglican church in the City of London England, that there is a plaque with the words,
 “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”
To quote R. J. Morgan from the book 365 scriptures that changed the world (copy right Thomas Nelson Publishers 1998.)
  “As a young man, Newton had been a seaman and slave trader whose mouth was a cesspool of profanity, and who liberally helped himself to the female slaves he transported. 
  But he also became a deserter, flogged by the British Navy, who was reduced to being the slave of a sadistic woman, herself a slave, in Africa.
Out of all this he was saved. And he became one of England’s greatest preachers, the author of the beloved hymn Amazing Grace.”
                                             R. J. Morgan
Over his study desk he had this verse from Deuteronomy
“Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.”
            Deuteronomy 15:15.
He reportedly told a friend later in life “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a Great Saviour.”
John Newton’s conversion was dramatic. He went from being a man without principles. A man without a conscience, to a man of great principles.
He spoke out against the slave trade and would go on to write hundreds of hymns 280 of which he combined with 68 hymns of William Cowper to form the Olney Hymnal.
We today can look on Newton and see how bad he was and say thank God I am nowhere near as bad as him. He needed a conversion experience. I am far better than him.
Many non Christians I believe today also look at people who go to church. People who claim to be Christians and say, “I know them. I know what they do outside of Church and it isn’t very Christian. Why should I become a Christian because I am better all around than they are.”
That may be so but not everyone who goes to church is a Christian. No everyone who say’s they are Christian are.
Many people as well as Preachers and evangelist will one day stand before God and find they are not accepted into heaven. Jesus saying,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                                            Matthew 7:21-23.
When it comes to knowing Jesus as one’s Lord and Saviour it is up to the individual to decide.
We should not look on those who are going to church or who claim to be Christians. Simply because many who claim to be Christians are not.
Each individual needs to look within themselves and ask themselves am “I truly good enough to go to heaven?”
I believe if we are honest with ourselves the answer will be no.
No one is good enough to stand before a holy God.
Isaiah the prophet said,
“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 Jesus came.
Another self admitted sinner the apostle Paul wrote these words,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
‘But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
          1 Timothy 1:15,16
C. S. Lewis pointed out,
“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

I firmly believe that we as individuals must search our heart of hearts and in all humility admit that there is sin in our life.
Then we must turn to Jesus, recognize that he is the One and only Son of God, who died for our sins and ask him to forgive our sins and come into our hearts and lives.
For it is only through Christ that we can truly have our sins forgiven and have our lives changed.
It happened to John Newton. It happened to the Apostle Paul it has happened to over two billion Christians on the earth today, and it can happen to you.
Please consider accepting Christ into your heart and life today.

Creation

Creation

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”                                                                   Genesis 1:1.
This is what I believe. God created the heavens and the earth. Whether he created it using the big bang or some other method I do not care. It’s unimportant to my faith.
Whether it took us six billion years, six thousand years or six days is unimportant to my faith.
The bible states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
                                                                                                            Hebrews 11:1. 
Creation is one a faith thing with me but not blind faith.
The Psalmist wrote,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 
                                                                                                                                  Psalm 19:1
I see a universe from the largest galaxies to the smallest microbes and atoms all governed by laws. There is no randomness in nature. The universe is mathematically perfect.
Where it seems like randomness I think it’s just a case that man has not found the formula or the pattern. There is a lot man has yet to learn.
The lack of randomness and perfect order of the universe tells me there is a God of creation.
By that same faith I believe that Jesus is the incarnation of God. The Bible stating,
“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....
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 1:1-3,14.
As I look into the heavens, study science and read the Bible I am amazed at how they compliment each other. Keeping in mind especially that the Bible is a book of faith not intended to be used as a science book.
I believe those who believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Bible have no fear of science because I believe good science will point to the existence of God.
At the beginning of this article I’ve put a picture of the earth taken from the space probe Voyager. It has travelled further in space than any man made object. At this point it is beyond the solar system.
From trillions of kilometres away N.A.S.A. turned its cameras around and took the picture.
As I look at it I am amazed and humbled that the God of creation did consider every individual human being on that “mote of dust” as Carl Sagan put it, worthy of his personal love.
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“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
Jesus died for me as an individual and he died for you.
Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with your dear reader. Would you open your heart and mind to Him today?
Please think about it.