For a better society

 For a better society

The Bible starts off with these words,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

                                                                                      Genesis 1:1

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It was written to those who believe in God and believers need no explanation.

There is also another reason for believing in God. 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.

I for one do not believe neanderthals, or any early humans sat down together and wrote a moral code all believed in. To believe such a thing is absurd. Yet there are at least three universal truths that all of mankind live by. That appear to be written on the hearts of all people. Truths expressed in the book of Exodus

"You shall not murder. 

"You shall not commit adultery. 

"You shall not steal. 

                                   Exodus 20:13-15.

And I believe if people are honest, that not just these three commandments are written on each persons heart. All of the ten commandments are.

1/You shall have no other gods before Me.

2/You shall make no idols.

3/You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4/Keep the Sabbath day holy.

5/Honour your father and your mother.

6/You shall not murder.

7/You shall not commit adultery.

8/You shall not steal.

9/You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10/You shall not covet.

For believing and putting these ten commandments given to us by God into daily use, not only by individuals but by society in general we will have a far better society in which to live.

Please think about it. 

Have You?

Have You?
Jesus told this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31.
There is an interesting quote I like from the Talmud a Jewish book that lines up perfectly with this parable. It states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”The Talmud
God is exists whether you believe in him or not, and He will hold you accountable for your actions. The writer of Ecclesiastes telling us.
“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
The question is how will you fare when you stand before Him?
What the Talmud and Jesus are expressing is a simple universal truth. We as human being should be showing unconditional love and compassion for our fellow man. We should be helping those in need in whatever way we are able. After all if you were in need of help of any kind would you not want help?
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 
This is a universal truth irrespective of what you believe.
Especially if you claim to be a follower of Christ, do you follow this truth?
Please think about it.

An Important Day

An important day.
         The Book of Exodus records,
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 
“You shall have no other gods before me. 
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,  but showing love to a thousand  generations  of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 
“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 
“You shall not murder. 
“You shall not commit adultery. 
“You shall not steal. 
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 
Exodus 20:2-17
On the 6th to 7th day of the Jewish month of Sivan Jews all over the world celebrate the giving of the law. In the Jewish year 5778 which is this year 2017 that falls at sunset on May 30th .
God if you will on the 7th of Sivan put into writing what I believe He has written on the hearts and minds of all men. Laws that make for a civilized society.
In acknowledging the law we are also acknowledging the sovereignty of God, for I do not believe man on his own could have come up with such a comprehensive set of rules to govern society as a whole.
Abba Hillel Silver speaking during the dark days of world war two said,
“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
History shows us that when man turns away from God’s moral absolutes, when man refuses to accept the existence of God our society as a whole suffers.
Hitler and his henchmen are the best examples of this. They did not fear God. They followed their own sinister code of ethics. A code of ethics that led to the deaths of six million Jewish men women and children and an equal number of others in the death camps alone. In a war they started that claimed the lives of in excess of fifty-six million people.
Terrorist around the world today are doing the same. They have no fear of God or His laws. Thus tens of thousands are dying at their hands.
We as a society no matter who we are Jew, Christian, Muslim or those of other faiths. Need to take time this day to acknowledge the giving of God’s law to not only the Jews but to all mankind.
We need to acknowledge God for the writer of Ecclesiastes stated,
“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
Please think about it.

The fear of The Lord

The fear of The Lord
The Psalmist writes,
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” Psalm 11:10.
When man forgets there is a God, or denies His existence or perverts God’s truth to justify his own actions society goes wrong.
On a large scale we can see this happened during the reign of Hitler and his henchmen in Germany during and just before World War two. We see it happening today on a large scale with terrorist groups lacking the fear of God and perverting God’s laws to justify what they are doing and thus causing strife around the world.
We see the lack of fear of the Lord on a smaller scale with street gangs in various cities killing people. We see people stealing on a small scale such as a pick pocket or on a grand scale such as a white collar criminal who steals millions from innocent victims.
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.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
When people do not believe this then the road is open for them to do as they wish.
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.
God set for all humanity a set of basic laws that I believe is on the hearts of all men. Universal laws that are enshrined in the ten commandments.
The book of Exodus records,
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 
“You shall have no other gods before me. 
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,  but showing love to a thousand  generations  of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 
“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 
“You shall not murder. 
“You shall not commit adultery. 
“You shall not steal. 
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 
Exodus 20:2-17.
These laws be you Jewish, Christian, Muslim or of other faiths are universal laws we all can understand.
These are universal laws, if you will “God basic principles for living”, that if practised correctly allow our society to function in the way God intended.
Sadly today there are many around the world that have lost their fear of God and His righteous judgment. The result is suffering and death.
It is time for our society as a whole both here in North America where I live and around the world to turn back to God’s basic principles for living.
Please think about it.

Teach Love

Teach Love
The Talmud says,

“Whoever teaches his son teaches not alone his son 

but also his son’s son, and so on to the end of generations.” 

 The Talmud.

The writer of the book of Proverbs states,

“Train a child in the way he should go,

 and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

Proverbs 22:6.

There is a need in the world today to teach our children tolerance, love and understanding.
Jesus when asked said,
 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
Jesus also said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”Matthew 5:43-45
The apostle Paul defined love when he wrote,

“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.

We need to be people who are remembered for our love. Love, true unconditional love is a universal truth all faiths that even atheist can understand.
In a sermon in 1940 Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.” Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver.
There is a lot of hate in the world both from secular non-religious sources and sadly from people claiming to be men and women of faith. This should not be so.
In the light of what has happened in Florida at he night club in recent days with forty-nine dead many others injured it is incumbent on men and women of all faiths to come out strongly against hatred, bigotry and all forms of discrimination.
We need to be etching on the hearts of our Children, who are the future of the world, the need for tolerance and unconditional love for all. God, our neighbours, even our enemies.
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.
If we all did this the world would be a better place.
Please think about it.

Your Life

Your Life
Here is a beautiful piece of wisdom from Ben Zion Bokser I believe is a universal truth it is entitled The Rose Talked Back

The Rose Talked Back

The man sweeping the synagogue paused for a moment.  He looked at the flowers lying about in disorder, ‘What waste!’  He said too himself.  Those roses had adorned the pulpit at a wedding aan hour before.  Now all was over and they were waiting to be discarded.
The attendant leaning on his sweeper was lost in thought when suddenly he heard a strange sound.  One of the roses replied to him.
‘Do you call this a waste?” the flower protested, ‘What is life anyway, yours or mine, but a means of service?  My mission was to create some fragrance and beauty, and when I have fulfilled it my life has not been wasted.  And what greater privilege is there than to adorn a bride’s way to her beloved, what greater privilege than to help glorify the moment when a bride and groom seal their faith in each other by entering the covenant of marriage?’
Our little flower paused for a moment too watch the man’s face, and then continued her discourse.
‘Roses are like people.  They live in deeds, not in time.  My glory was but for a brief hour, but you should have seen the joy in the bride’s eye.  I like to believe that I had something to do with it, by creating a suitable setting for the moment of her supreme happiness.  So don’t grieve for me.  My life has been worthwhile.
Having spoken her little piece, the rose was once more silent.  The attendant, startled from his reverie and a little wiser, pushed the sweeper again and continued with his work.
                                                                                                         Ben Zion Bokser
Question: is your life worthwhile? Have you done anything to help people? To perhaps even enrich the lives of those you meet?
It doesn’t have to be something great or earth shattering.
I remember when some years ago when we first moved into our house. It was winter and there had been a modest snow fall four or five inches. Enough that we needed to shovel the drive way. As we did we seen an older lady as it turned out in her eighties, across the street doing her best to shovel her driveway.
All we did was stop what we were doing and go across to shovel her driveway first. It cost us nothing but a few minutes of our time. Still you could see she deeply appreciated it. From then on for the rest of the winter my son’s or I after a snow fall slipped over to shovel her driveway before we did our own.
It was a small gesture but it made a big difference to that lady.
Such things are easy to do. It’s the little things that make a difference, volunteering at a food bank, a hospital, a hospice, or other places where there is need.
Someone once told me multimillionaires and billionaires give money and that is needed. But it is the average person who volunteers their time that makes the system work. Average people doing what they can when they can.
This is a Christian truth but one that I believe is echoed in all faiths. It a concept I believe even atheist can agree with.
As Christians I firmly believe we need to be giving of our time not just our money to help people. James the brother of Christ 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
Please think about it.