Of importance to God

  Of Importance to God

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Genesis 1:1

On February 14, 1990, NASA at a distance of 6 billion kilometres (3.7 billion miles) had the Voyager 1 space probe take a picture of the Solar system. It showed earth as a pail blue dot smaller than the head of a pin. 

Looking at it we see just how small earth is in the universe. Within the vastness of the universe it seems insignificant. Yet it is everything to those of us who live on it.

Some have said there may be more planets out there in the vastness of the universe that have life. While that may be true such planets are too far away from us to communicate with or to help us in anyway.

It is our planet and our planet alone that is important to us. We have no other place in the universe to live. 

We must also remember that we on this pail blue dot is of importance to God and we who live here. For the Bible which God  has inspired is directed at us. With the sole purpose of pointing us to God. Making it clear in a nutshell the choice we have.

In the gospel of John Jesus is recorded as 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.  

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

So what do you believe?

Please think about it.

Christians believe

 Christians believe.

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.

In a nutshell I believe Jesus is God incarnate Saviour of all who believe in him. What I believe is stated in the Apostles Creed that while not written by an Apostle states what I and the majority of Christians believe. It states,

1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth

2. I believe in Jesus Christ God's on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.

3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary

4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.

5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.

6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost

9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,

10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.

11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.

12. I believe in life everlasting.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The duty of a Christian

  The duty of a Christian

In Matthews Gospel we read,

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.

Sometimes I think we as Christians put to many labels on who we are. Some say their a Baptist. Some an Anglican. Others Mennonite. Some call themselves evangelical.

The truth is a Christian is evangelical by nature. As we read above in Matthew 28:18-20 believers in Christ Jesus are to go into the world and tell anyone who will listen to them about what they believe.

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Confessing Jesus

  Confessing Jesus 

In the book of Romans the apostle Paul states,

"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.

Is this you? Do you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in you heart God raised him from the dead? Do you trust Jesus?

We who live in the twenty-first century have never seen Jesus in the flesh, nor seen his Myricales. For us it’s a purely faith thing. We either believe or we don’t.

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.... 

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 11:1,6.

So where is your faith?

Please think about it.

Small is the gate

 Small is the gate

Jesus said,

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13,14.

There are many people in the world that say they know the way to heaven. That being said which is the right way?

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"There is a way that seems right to a man

 but in the end it leads to death proverbs"

                                                                  Proverbs 14:12.

Jesus replying to his apostle Thomas 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

This is a bold claim. A claim everyone who hears the gospel message must decide for themselves is right or wrong.

What do you believe?

Please think about it.

Heir of all things

 Heir of all things

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,(Jesus) whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.

Here the writer of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus is “the radiance of God the exact representation of his being,...”

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.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the apostles and those close to Jesus had no doubt that Jesus was the Son of God, God incarnate.

Thus the question becomes do you believe this?

Please think about it.

Jesus is

  Jesus is

In John’s Gospel we read,

"Jesus said to her, (martha)"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes Lord" she told Him, "I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world," John 11:25,26,27.

In Matthews Gospel we read,

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:13-16

In the book of Acts we read Peter saying,

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:36-39.

So who is Jesus? Those close to him Martha, Peter and the other apostles believed him to be the Christ, the Messiah.

The apostle Paul tells us why Jesus came to this earth. In Romans he writes, 

"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.

Do you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, who died for your sins?

Please think about it.

Jesus the Christ

 Jesus the Christ

In the gospel of Matthew we read,

“Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?"  

But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 

"Yes, it is as you say,"Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.  

What do you think?" "He is worthy of death,"” they answered. Matthew 26:62-66.

Jesus knew what the penalty for claiming to be the Christ, the Messiah, was. Yet he never denied that he was the messiah, God incarnate. 

I like what C. S. Lewis said of Jesus,

"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.

So who do you think Jesus is, a lunatic, a great moral teacher, or the Son of God, The saviour of all who would believe in Him?

Please think about it.

You are my God

 You are my God

The Psalmist writes,

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks;

 you are my God, and I will exalt you. 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his love endures forever.” 

                                                         Psalm 118:28,29

If you claim to be a Christian you in all sincerity do what the Psalmist is saying here?

Do you truly believe all that is said here?

Please think about it.

Christs Ambassadors

 Christ’s Ambassadors

Paul also wrote,

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  

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.” 2Corinthians5:18-20.

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus then we as the apostle Paul put it, are Christs ambassadors. Through us God is making his appeal to the world around us.

Ambassadors represent the country from which they come. We therefor according to the apostle Paul are ambassadors for Christ in this world. Thus we have an obligation to represent Christ in the best possible light.

We cannot appeal to those around us if we are judging them. That is not our job. 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.

The apostle Paul wrote,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

We have no right to judge those outside our faith. It is our job to follow the command of Jesus who said,

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing this?

Please think about it.

The existence of God

 The existence of God

In the Gospel of John we read,

“In the beginning was the Word, (Jesus) 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 writer of Hebrews states,

"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, (Jesus) whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3.

Quoted above are foundational scriptures in Christianity. They make it clear that the writers of the New Testament believed Jesus was God incarnate. That he “is the radiance of God’s glory the exact representation of his being”

That through him “all things were made ; without him nothing was made that has been made”.

This to me is a bold statement. That if not true literally billions of Christians around the world are believing one of the most incredible lies in human history.

If correct, and I believe it to be correct, it is the most important thing in human history. Still they choice is up to you.

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.

So where are you going to place your wager?

Please think about it.

   Trust in God

The Psalmist states,

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5.

Do you put your hope in God?

The writer of Proverbs tells us,

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding;" 

                                                                      Proverbs 3:5.

Do you have this kind of trust in God?

Please think about it.

Do you truly worship God?

  Do you truly worship God?

Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman said,

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  

  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.

To my way of thinking there are three ways of viewing God. 

You can simply say God does not exist.

You can give intellectual consent and say God exists, but have no real faith in Him.

OR

You can have complete faith in God. 

The Bible makes it clear that it is the latter, faith in God that gets us to heaven. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

“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.

Here is the question I leave you with. It’s a question only you and God truly know the answer to.

Do you truly worship God in spirit and truth?

Please think about it.

Complete Faith

 Complete Faith

Matthew's gospel tells this story of a young man who came to Jesus,

"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbour as yourself.''" 

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22.

The young man believed God exists at least on an intellectual sense. But he trusted his wealth more. 

      Now there is nothing wrong being wealthy. It’s the love of money that’s the problem. The apostle Paul writes,

“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.

This young man was not willing to give up his wealth and follow Jesus.

Now I must stress this giving away all your money is not a prerequisite for becoming a Christian. There have been many men and women over the years who have used their wealth to further the Kingdom of God. 

The apostle Paul 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.

We are saved by having faith in God and the salvation that comes through faith in Gods One and Only Son Christ Jesus.

Where do you stand?

Do you have complete faith in Christ Jesus?

Have you acknowledged Christ as your Lord and Saviour?

Please think about it.

Having faith in Jesus

  Having faith in Jesus

"Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29.

Here is a blessing from Jesus to all who have not physically seen him, yet still believe he is who he claimed to be through faith.

Faith being defined in Hebrews as

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  

This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1,2

In Hebrews 11 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

Hebrews goes on to say,

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. Hebrews 11:8,9.

These men born long before Jesus came to earth did not see him physically yet chose to follow Gods leading by faith.

And so it should be to day. We although we have not physically seen Jesus are called to believe in him.

Thus the question becomes do you believe by faith in Jesus?

Please think about it.

God examines our path

  God examines our path

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, 

and he examines all his paths." 

                                                         Proverbs 5:21.

C. S. Lewis said,

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.

I believe it doesn't matter who you are, or whether you believe in God or not, everything you do is done in front of God. He examines your paths. He knows why you do what you do. The Psalmist wrote,

"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.

The way I read what the Psalmist is saying is God knows us right down to our genetic code. That is why he has the right to judge us, because in knowing our genetic code he knows why we do what we do.

That being said our genetic code only accounts for part of what we do. In creating man God gave each individual complete freedom do believe and do as they like.

It is in how we exercise this freedom, that God will hold us accountable for. Should we choose to murder, steal, or do anything that is contrary to what God wants, we will, if we are unrepentant be punished by God.

If on the other hand we do as God wishes us to do, we will go to be with Him in heaven.

I also believe God made it as simple as possible for us to go to heaven. He in the form of his one and only Son Jesus entered this world to point us to heaven. The writer of Hebrews stating,

     In 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.  

“The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3.

God understands that man is far from perfect. That every person that is living or has ever lived falls short of his ideals. That man sins. Sin is falling short of God's ideal for ones life.

Thus God reaches down in grace. 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

In Romans Paul writes,

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

The Apostle Paul tells us,

"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.

Please think about it.

The Bulwark of a Just Society

 The Bulwark of a Just Society

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,

“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.

Abba Hillel Silver wrote,

“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.” Abba Hillel Silver.

When God is forgotten by society, society runs the risk of falling apart. While God in creating man gave him complete freedom to do as he wished. He, I believe placed in mans heart rules to live by. Devine rules that allow a free society to function well. Those divine rules in a nutshell being the ten commandments.

When man disobeys those rules and refuses to believe in God, or fear God, society can fall apart. We only have to look at Nazi Germany in the 1930's and during world war two to see this in its extreme. 

Hitler and his supporters did not fear God. Instead they lived by their own rules that led to the death of millions of men women and children in the death camps. In a world war that claimed in excess of fifty-six million people, soldiers and civilians.

The same is true on a smaller scale around the world today with respect to terrorist groups. Most do not fear God. Some even have the twisted belief they are doing God’s work. 

Throughout our society we see murderers, rapist, thieves and others who commit crimes who do not give God a second thought. 

Whether mankind wants to admit it or not. Mankind needs God and the basic set of rules for living life to it’s fullest. Mankind needs to acknowledge that the writer of Ecclesiastes is right when he 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.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.

Please think about it.

God will make us good

  God will make us good

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:4,5

To the Ephesians Paul wrote,

“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.

C. S. Lewis wrote,

"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.

From a Christian stand point we cannot live lives good enough to get to heaven. That being said, God understood this and sent Jesus Christ to save us. 

The apostle Paul wrote,

“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.

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.

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.

Thus my question to you the reader; do you believe this?

Please think about it.

A pearl of Great Price

  A pearl of great  price

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

If you found something of great importance to mankind. Something that would change lives. Would you not want to share it?

That is what we as Christians, as true followers in Christ Jesus believe we have. We believe: 

Jesus is the Son of God

The Saviour of all who believe in Him.

We believe He gave his life for the sins we committed.

A Christian confession

  A Christian confession.

The Apostle Paul 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.”  

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.

The apostle Paul make it very clear how we get to heaven, how we are saved from hell. By believing in Jesus, and confessing that He is Lord before men.

Paul makes it clear there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all. 

That “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

In order to believe such a thing you need faith because the writer of Hebrews states,

“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

Do you believe Jesus is Lord and God the saviour of all who believe in Him?

Please think about it.