Submit, Resist, be Humble

Submit, Resist, be Humble
James writes to followers of Jesus,
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  
Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:7-12.
Here is something all who claim to be followers of Christ need to think about. Do you submit yourself to God? Do you resist the devil?
James tells us to “Come near to God and he will come near to you” He calls us to purify ourselves. To “grieve mourn and wail”
By this is I feel James is telling us we need to be so ashamed of our sins of the way we at times fail God,  that we cry out to God in all humility and tell Him we are truly sorry for our failings. In doing so God will lift us up. As someone has said it takes a strong person to admit their faults even to God.
As Christians we are to remember that it is not our place to slander or judge anyone. 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.
We as mere mortals do not know what is in the hearts of other people. We do not know what makes them do things. Only God knows that, that is why God and God alone has the right to judge anyone.
The believer in Christ is called to live a good and holy life acceptable to God. A life that reaches out with the gospel to those around them in word and in deed.
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.
Jesus also said,
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  
It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.  
I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  Matthew 24:45-46.
Question, do you consider yourself a good servant of Jesus? Are you doing what God wants you to do?
Please think about it.

To Christians

To Christians

“An aged man, whom Abraham hospitality invited to his tent, refused to join him in prayer to the one spiritual God.  Learning that he was a fire-worshipper.   Abraham drove him from his door.  That night God appeared to Abraham in a vision and said: ‘I have borne with that ignorant man for seventy years: could you not have patiently suffered him one night?”
                                                                                                                The Talmud.
I know the Talmud is not a Christian book of faith. It is not considered by Christians as an inspired word of God. But the message the above quote gives is applicable to Christians.
All to often Christians give up on people. They as Abraham did drive them from their door. From their sphere of influence.
They do it a lot of time my judging people. Two classic examples are abortionist and the gay community.
I’ve seen people calling themselves Christians protesting at abortion clinics with signs saying “abortionist will burn in hell”. I’ve see the same kind of thing when it comes to people in the gay community.
Jesus and the disciples never protested against Rome or any other group.
People calling themselves Christians are especially hard on the LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community.
They call on governments to, in extreme cases jail homosexuals. As has sadly happened in some African countries.
Here in North America those calling themselves Christians, seek to prevent a secular government who tries to help all people irrespective of who they are, from granting Gay’s the right to marry. All simply because they disagree with them.
This in my opinion is wrong. You may not agree with someone’s lifestyle but as a Christian you have no right to Judge.
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.
Sadly there are many out there claiming to be Christians who are not obeying the words of Jesus and Paul.
When was the last time you heard of Christians expelling the wicked from among them? Standing up to false teachers?
Only God knows the hart of men. That’s why we are under God not allowed to judge people especially those outside the church.
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 see it. What the Psalmist is saying is, God knows our very make up. He knows why we are the way we are. He knows our genetic make up, saying
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
That is why he and not we can judge people.
James the brother of Christ issues Christians a warning, saying,
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.  
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.  
For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
                  James 2:8-13.
As Christians we are not to judge another human being. For in doing so we are driving those who need the Love of God, the Love of Christ away from that love.
God has placed a great weight on the Christian. It is our job to reach the world for Christ. To keep our own house in order, and not judge a soul outside the church.
Please think about it. 

True Cost of Discipleship

True cost of Discipleship
“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 
He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 
Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” 
                Luke 9:57-62.

Here is something aimed squarely at Christians wishing to serve the Lord.
I know a person who always wanted to become an ordained minister. So he did. After which he stayed at his secular job studied the Bible and did little else with it.
Now I know timing is everything when you are called to do the Lords work. At the same time however you must consider the cost. You must know that you are truly called by God to minister for Him.
Anyone can become a ordained minister all you need is a denomination or church congregation to accept you and usually in order to marry someone a piece of paper from the government.
However if you feel you are truly called to minister God’s word you need to be willing to go where He tells you to go.
You need to be willing to give up your job to give up your comfortable lifestyle, and go to the most remote areas of the world if necessary.
Whether you want to become an ordained minister or not if you feel God is calling you into His service you need to be willing to leave your current life and lifestyle if necessary and do God’s work. You can’t have any doubts about it.
That’s what Jesus is saying in the above scriptures.
That being said. Being called directly into the ministry, be it to be an evangelist or pastor of a church is only one aspect of serving Christ.
As Christians we can serve the Lord in many ways both inside and out of our local church congregation.
There are many ministries that a person can volunteer to help.
All Christians need to remember that no matter what they do they are representing Christ.
The apostle Peter writes,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.’ 
                                                                     1 Peter 2:9-12

We as Christians must remember we are preaching a sermon by the way they live and our lifestyle. As Francis of Assisi said,
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 
                                                                                               Francis of Assisi 
  Please think about it.

To Christians

To Christians

The apostle Peter writes,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.’ 
                                                                       1 Peter 2:9-12.
Dear Christian
Do you live up to the words of the apostle Peter quoted above?
Do you realize you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation belonging to God?
Do you realize that you are that you are aliens and strangers in this world?
Do you “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”?
All to often Christians particularly in North America think they are living in a Christian nation. They forget the Bible tells us we are aliens and strangers in this world.
Our culture is much different from the world around us.
I was not born in Canada I emigrated to Canada when I was in my teens. My family had different ways than those around us. We as a family had to learn how to function in this new country we decided to live in.
Even though I spoke English my Canadian friends were not use to some of the slang I used when I spoke and my accent was funny to them. They were always correcting me.
I found such simple things as a mail box funny. It just didn’t look like what I was use to.
At times at school I would say something that where I came from was innocent however in Canada it had a different connotation.
I remember my father on several occasions had to come to school to quote, “straiten a teacher out”.
On one occasion I was punished for throwing a snow ball.
Where I came from when it snowed teachers would actually take us outside to have snowball fights. In Canada a the school I attended it was forbidden. But no one told me that.
The school at the time was not use to having a foreign student in their school.
It for me became a learning curve. I had to learn what I could say and how to say it without offending people.
Thus it is with Christians.
Many Christians think they are being persecuted for what they say here in North America when it is not what they say but how they say it.
We make the assumption that just because some statesmen voted to use the motto “one Nation under God” it means we are a Christian nation. There is no Christian nation on earth today.
However thus armed with this assumption there are those who go out with the idea they can stand up and preach hellfire and condemnation at the world around them. They feel they can call people who are really not Christians bad things. Pointing out as they do the wrongs and sins people have committed.
That’s not what God wants us to do. The apostle Paul said,
“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.
The Apostle Peter said,
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
                                                                                              1 Peter 2:12.
If we are obeying the scriptures we are not judging those outside the church. We are keeping our own house free from wrong teaching and the wicked, even if they sound good, and we are following the words of the Apostle Peter who said,
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
The job of a Christian in this world is to do the work of the Lord. To point people to salvation in Christ. To show God’s love to every one. The apostle Paul defining love as,

“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.
The writer of Ecclesiastes 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
When God Judges you what do you think He will say?
Please think about it.

To Christians

To Christians

Every now and then I believe Christians need a simple message direct from the scriptures. This is one of those times.
The apostle Peter writes,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.’ 
                                                                                            1 Peter 2:9-12.
The second message is from James the brother of Christ leader of the council at Jerusalem. He writes,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” 
                                                                                                                     James 2:14-20.
Simply put Christianity is very much a faith of Love in Action.
Dear Christian brother and sister, please think carefully about what Peter and James wrote.