Maker of heaven earth and sea

  Maker of heaven earth and sea

In the book of Psalms we read,

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever.” Psalm 146:5,6.

Are you blessed? Do you truly believe in the Lord God maker of heaven earth, sea and everything in them?

The apostle Paul writes,

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:11-13 

Again I ask do you truly believe in the Lord God Almighty maker of heaven and earth?

Please think about it.

Who is Jesus?

 Who is Jesus  to the Christian?

In the Gospel of John we read,

“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

Jesus speaking to his disciples said,

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6.

These are two statements Christians make and ask the listener to believe by faith. The writer of 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.

God will never force himself on anyone. He leaves it in the listeners hands.

Many men over the centuries have tried to dispute who Jesus was all ultimately have failed.

Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, (361-363 A.D.)  an ancient adversary of Christianity. Said in his work against Christianity:

"Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany."

At the end of his life Julian was forced to say:

"Thou has conquered, O Galilean!"

  What do you think about Jesus? 

Please think about it.

I want you to know

  I Want you to know

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles," 1Corinthians 15:1-7.

When the apostle Paul wrote these words there were people within living memory who experienced seeing Jesus after his resurrection. 

The apostle Peter stated,

“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Peter 1:19-18.

Jesus for those who believe in him is the Son of God the Saviour of all who would believe in him and the apostles truly believed this.

Thus the choice in yours. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the saviour of all who believe in him?

Please think about it. 

God made flesh

 God made flesh

“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.

The above quotation from the book of John is a fundamental belief of Christians. At first glance is seems outrageous but it is true.

If it were not true why would early Christians include it in the very documents they were writing to prove their faith.

The fact that the early Christians claimed that Jesus was God incarnate, God in the flesh means, at least to me, they have committed a lie so outrageous that it has fooled millions. If not billions of people through out history and in modern times. 

C. S. Lewis wrote,

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. 

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. 

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Please think about it.

True Treasure

  True Treasure

Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.

Unfortunately people today are seeing true treasure in all the wrong places. They are quite literally seeking in fields and elsewhere hoping to find material wealth.

They are not looking for true wealth. Which is in heaven. 

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.” Matthew 16:19-21.

What kind of wealth are you seeking?

Please think about it.

Christians and love

 Christians and love

The apostle John writes,

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.... 

"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 3:11,17,18.

The Bible is full of admonitions to the believer to help those in need. 

While to Talmud is not a Christian book it holds many Christian principles that Christian should follow,

“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.

Are you making the world around you a household of Love?

Please think about it.

Jesus Lunatic or Saviour

Jesus Lunatic or Saviour

John’s gospel records this interaction between Jesus and his disciples,

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  John 14:5-11.

This if you think about it is quite the extraordinary statement. Jesus makes two statements that if not true makes him a lunatic. He states,

1. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.”

2.  “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

What Jesus is saying is He is divine. He is God incarnate. The way to Heaven. 

 C. S. Lewis said it best in his book Mere Christianity when he wrote,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

This is the choice the writers of the New Testament lay out before the whole world. Either Jesus is God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind, or he is not. The choice is yours.

Please think about it.

Show me your ways?

  Show me your ways?

“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4,5.

As believers is God I think we all seem to take God for granted. We miss who he really is.

As such we need to remind ourselves that God is our Saviour and that all our hope is in Him.

This quote from Psalm 25 is, I believe a prayer we all need to be praying. We need to be asking God to show us his ways. We need to ask God to show us his paths and guide us in his truth. To teach us his truths.

Do you ask God to show you his ways? How often do you do it?

Please think about it.

A self admitted sinner

 A self admitted sinner

A 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 states,

“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, 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. 

This is what happened to the apostle Paul.

The same apostle Paul that wrote,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Have you confessed your sins to God and accepted His forgiveness?

Please think about it. 

To save the world

 To save the world

The writer of Ecclesiastes gives a bleak description of life writing,

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9

"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.

Ultimately he concludes,

“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.

God will judge us. For everything we have done right and wrong. 

That being said we as believers in Christ Jesus don’t believe that if our good deeds out weigh our bad deeds we will get to heaven.

We believe God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins the apostle Paul writing,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Later in his letter to the Romans 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

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.

So do you believe in God?

Do you believe Jesus paid the price for your sins?

Please think about it. 

 

Notes from Peter and Paul

 Notes from Peter and Paul

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  

Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping"2 Peter 2:1-3

          Here Peter warns about false teachers arising. Introducing heresies and denying Jesus.

The apostle Paul writes,

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.

This is happening today and sometimes it is hard to tell what is true from what is not. The only way to tell what is right and wrong is to pray and study the Bible. Use a good Bible commentary. Join a reliable church and listen carefully to what the preacher or evangelist is saying. If you have a question ask them to explain what you don’t understand. A good honest minister of the word of God will be glad to help you.

Above all things pray, pray, and pray for God to show you right from wrong.

Please don’t just think about it.

Do it.

I will Love

 I will love

Because...

The Bible says,

"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

I will...Have faith in God..

Because...

according to Romans 5:1,2: 

"...having been justified by faith, we have peace with God

 through our LORD Jesus Christ, 

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace 

which we stand, and rejoice in hope of glory of God."

I will rejoice in the glory of God...

Because... 

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40:

"...you shall love the LORD your God 

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  

This is the first and greatest commandment.  

And the second is like it: 

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I will love God, my family, my friends and my foes.

Because...

"He (God) first loved us."

1 John 4:19

I will...love God

Because...

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish 

but have everlasting life."  

John 3:16

I will...love God

Because... 

Jesus said, "A new command I give you: 

Love one another. 

As I have loved you, 

so you must love one another.  

By this all men will know that you are my disciples,

 if you love one another." 

John 13:34,35

I will...love my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Because...

Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 

bless those who curse you, 

and pray for those who spitefully use you."   

Luke 6:27,28

I will...love my enemies.

Because...

The Bible says, "Love suffers long and is kind: 

love does not envy; loves does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, 

is not provoked, thinks no evil; 

does not rejoice in iniquity, 

but rejoices in the truth; 

bears all things; believes all things, 

hopes all things, 

endures all things...

"Now abides faith, hope and love, 

these three; 

but the greatest of these is love.   

 I Corinthians 13:4-7 

I will...I will love Gods way. 

Unconditionally.

The law of the Prophets

 The Law of the Prophets

Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12

Put this way in the year 2025 this means;

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

If you are 

speaking out and trying to restrict the rights of others 

given to them by the lawfully elected government.

You are telling others 

they can try to restrict your rights.

If you are 

imposing your morals on others

however good they may be.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, 

even if they are not as good as yours.

If you are 

trying to impose your faith on others 

rather than presenting your faith.

You are telling others 

they can impose their faith on you.

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

If you 

are telling the world you are a Christian

You should be telling the world 

I love you as Jesus loves you,...

unconditionally.

Please think about it

Bless

  Bless

To all those who have read my blogs throughout the years I would just like to thank you and dedicate this verse from the book of numbers.

"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.

Please in all you do throughout the coming year take time to bless someone. As our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

Please don’t just think about it. 

Do it.  

Saved by Faith

  Saved by Faith.

In John’s gospel we read

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  

Yet to all who received him, 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 1:10-13.

John makes it clear how we become a true follower of Christ Jesus.

We must believe in his name.

This means a complete heart felt belief. It is an act of faith. Not simply and intellectual belief there is a God.  

The apostle Paul writes,

“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 

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

Later in the book of Hebrews we read,

"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.

So do you believe in Christ Jesus?

Do you believe he is the Saviour of all who would believe in Him?

Please think about it.

Humans are fragile

  Humans are fragile

"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. Isaiah 40:6,7.

We humans are fragile creatures. We live a handful of years before passing on to eternity. The writer of Ecclesiastes writes,

"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.

Later on the writer writes,

“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.

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 will you be happy?

Please think about it.

The God I serve

  The God I serve

In the book of Isaiah we read,

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God?

The Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable." 

                                                   Isaiah 40:28.

This is the God I serve. An almighty God who is everlasting, who never grows faint or weary. Not only that.

In the book of Psalms we read,

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16.

Which tells me God knows me intimately. 

Is this the God you serve?

Please think about it

A Child of God

  A Child of God

In John’s Gospel we read,

"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.

Today is Christmas day. The day when we Christians. We who believe in Christ Jesus celebrate his birth.

The time we believe, that God in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus, became flesh.    The one who made the universe and everything in it came into the world to save all who would believe in Him.

The apostle John writes,

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  

Yet to all who received him, 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 1:10-13.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The Lord God

  The Lord God

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God" Luke 1:26-32.

Here is something I feel is so unbelievable that it has to be true. Mary the mother of Christ encounters an angel that tells her that the baby she is carrying will be called “the Son of the Most High. The Lord God.”

If this were not true why would Luke include it in his gospel, after all it seems outlandish. 

The fact is however, Mary was visited by an angel who told her told her the child she was carrying was the Son of the Most High. Then leaves it up to the reader to believe it or not.

Question: Do you believe Jesus is The Lord God?

Please think about it.

Have you confessed?

 Have you confessed?

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

Christmas is just a few days away. It is the day we as Christians, as followers of Christ Jesus celebrate the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus. The suffering Messiah who would give his life for our sins.

That being said we Christians tend to have a formula in order to get to heaven. “Say the sinner prayer.” “Confess your sins to God etc.”.

But in the above scripture one of the criminals didn’t follow a formula. He simply admitted he was deserving of his punishment, believed Jesus was who he said he was. To which Jesus said “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,

"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."  Romans 10:9-11.

So do you believe Jesus is the Saviour of all who believe in him. If so have you confessed your sins to Him. 

Please think about it.