Wager without hesitation,

Wager without hesitation

“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 believers in God and as such debate is not needed.
Believers in God accept by faith His existence.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                              Hebrews 11:1

“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 know there are many people in the world that do not believe in God. That is their right. When God made mankind He did not make robots, He made individuals with a free will to believe act and do as they wish. That freedom extends to not believing in God.
As far as I am concerned God does exist. To say otherwise in my mind is foolishness for believing in God costs you nothing but in the long run offers great gain.
Blaise Pascal put it this way,
“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.
Please think about it.

Those who have not seen

Those who have not seen
John’s gospel records,
“Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” 
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29.
Here we have the story of the man quite often referred to as doubting Thomas. He wanted proof that Jesus was alive following his death on the cross. He wasn’t taking the word of the other disciples. He wanted physical proof, so Jesus appeared to him.
What Jesus however said after furnishing proof to Thomas is important. John records,
“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 
Believing in Jesus and all that he did is especially today in the twenty-first century an act of faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                          Hebrews 11:1

“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

Having faith in anything is a difficult thing for many if not most people. Still it is what God requires of us. Yet when you think about it having faith in God costs us nothing.
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.
Please think about it.

The Clock Maker

The Clock maker
Voltaire wrote,

“I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist

 without a clock maker.” 

                           Voltaire.

The Psalmist wrote,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge. 

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” 

                                                                     Psalm 19:1-3.

The book of Genesis tells us,

“In the beginning God

 created the heavens and the earth.”

                                              Genesis 1:1.

This is what I believe. I believe there is a God who created the heavens and the earth. I don’t care whether he created it in six twenty-four hour days or through the big bang and billions of years. How he made it is not important to my faith.
I believe God exist period. Full stop.
Admittedly it is an act of faith on my part. That I believe is what God wanted 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.

Of faith Blaise Pascal wrote,

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe

 and enough shadows to blind those who don't.”

                                                                   Blaise Pascal.

I believe having faith in God is the most important thing anyone can do. It, in my opinion has eternal consequences. The nice thing about having faith in God, it cost us absolutely nothing. To quote Pascal again,
“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.
Thus the choice is yours.
But before you place your bet. Please, at least read the New Testament, pray and ask God to show you the truth.
Please think about it.

Faith

Faith

The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                                   Hebrews 11:1

I believe having faith in anything is perhaps on of the hardest things an individual has to do. That is why I believe God asks us to have faith in Him.
God could have come with his angels in bodily form and shown his might calling on all the people of earth to worship Him.
Had he done it that way I firmly believe most if not all people would have worshipped Him. That however would not have produced true followers. Most would have worshipped God out of fear for what He could do to them.
On the other hand not showing Himself in bodily form requires and act of faith on the part of the individual. And people of faith are the strongest most dedicated followers no matter what they believe in.
Those who truly follow anything, be it God or any other cause will suffer and even die for what they believe in.
Having faith in God however costs us nothing and offers great gain. Blaise Pascal put it this way,
“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.
Thus the question becomes where will you place your wager.
Please think about it. 

Place your bet

Place your bet

“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. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

but the word of our God stands forever.” 

                                               Isaiah 40:6-8.

You are grass and all of the glory you gain in this world are like the flowers of the field.
You grow old. You body strong in your youth slowly fades with age until you pass from this life.
All that you have done your achievements may be retained in the memory of those who loved you. Or, if you are lucky, in history books or on some stone pillar, even on the internet. Still even those achievements will one day be forgotten.
The writer of Ecclesiastes writing from a human prospective wrote,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
The writer was right. If we look at things from the point of view of this world life is meaningless. If all we are here to do is produce the next generation and gather a few bangles bobbles and beads then isn’t life meaningless.
There however is more to being human. The way I see it is human beings are eternal beings destined to live throughout eternity and a place of our choosing.
In creating humans God did not make robots. He created individuals with a freewill to do as they wished. That freewill extends to our belief in God. Which by God’s design comes down to an act of faith. 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

Of faith, of belief, 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.
Thus the question becomes,
Where do you place your bet?
Please think about it.

Faith & God

Faith & God
The book of Genesis states,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. After all it was written to believers in God. People who have faith in God.
The writer of Hebrews stating,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                 Hebrews 11:1

“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

That being said Thomas Aquinas said,

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. 

To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” 

                                                       Thomas Aquinas.

Sadly from my point of view as a Christian there are many in the world that don’t believe in God. They can’t seem to believe in anything beyond this world. Anything they cannot see, feel, or hear. Yet having faith in God costs nothing and offers much. 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.
I as a Christian believe God wants people to believe in Him by faith because people who believe in anything by faith are the strongest of followers.
I as a Christian also believe that God did all he could to show mankind He loves them and wants them to spend eternity with Him. The apostle John writing,
“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.
We Christians believe God in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ entered the world to point people to heaven. We believe the apostle John who speaking about Jesus wrote,
“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 1:12,13.
We believe the apostle Paul who 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.
Christians believe that it is by the grace of God through our faith, our belief in Him that we get to heaven. So to quote Blaise Pascal again,
“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
Thus the question becomes. Where are you placing your bet?
Please think about it.

A Matter of Faith

A Matter of Faith
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                  Hebrews 11:1

“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

No one can or should even try to force anyone to believe in anyone or anything. Trying to force someone to believe in something produces false faith.
False faith is useless. Something God certainly dose not want from anyone.
I believe in order to have faith in God or for that matter anything one needs to look at the evidence. That to my way of thinking is why God inspired the Bible to be written.
The writers present the truth about God and ask the individual to believe them, or not.
The Bible however does not stop there. It encourages the reader to look around them. The Psalmist writing,

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

 the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

                                                Psalm 19:1

The Psalmist encourages the reader to look at the world around them and see how perfectly made it is. From the greatest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle, all are arranged perfectly for life to exist as we know it. Showing a divine creator.
I firmly believe science done right will ultimately show the there is a creator behind it all.
That being said it still comes down to faith. Believers in God are in many ways like a scientist. A scientist postulates a theory from what he sees and has faith in that theory until it is proved or disproved.
Albert Einstein is a classic example. Some of his theories were never proven to be correct until after his death yet he believed they were right.
So it is with a Christian we believe we are right in our belief in God and Jesus Christ, even though we will never prove it for certain until the day we stand before God after our death. That faith however costs us nothing.
I like what Blaise Pascal said of faith in God. He 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.
Please think about it.

A Conversation

A Conversation

A man:
”you can’t be!”

God:
“but I am”

A Man: 
“You don’t exist!”

God, 
“I do.”

A Man:
“But I couldn’t see you.”

God: 
“I know I asked you to have faith. Hebrews told you,
  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope
for and certain of what we do not see.”  
                                         Hebrews 11:1

A Man:
“if only I could have seen you.”

God: 
“You could have seen all I did. The Psalmist told you, 
“The heavens declare the glory of God; 
the  skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1. 
Didn’t you even look?

A Man:
  “Of course I looked. I seen evolution.”

God,
  “So you seen an orderly universe and thought 
it just dropped perfectly into place
  randomly? 
Even so, you didn’t think I could create the universe be it that way or any other way I felt like doing it?”

A man: 
“But I believed you didn’t exist.”

God: 
“so you never had faith in me?”

A Man: 
“I didn’t.... I don’t... I must be delusional.”

God: 
“No I am really here and the words of Hebrews say, 
“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.

Man:
“So what will happen to me?”

God:
“The Apostle 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 
Did you accept my free gift of Grace?

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
Please think about it.

About God

About God,

“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 believers in God and as such debate is not needed.
Believers in God accept by faith His existence.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                              Hebrews 11:1

“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 know there are many people in the world that do not believe in God. That is their right. When God made mankind He did not make robots, He made individuals with a free will to believe act and do as they wish. That freedom extends to not believing in God.
As far as I am concerned God does exist. To say otherwise in my mind is foolishness for believing in God costs you nothing but in the long run offers great gain.
Blaise Pascal put it this way,
“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.
Please think about it.

A Choice

A Choice
James the half brother states,
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  
Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  
As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.  
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:13-17. 
Isaiah the Prophet wrote,
“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. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”Isaiah 40:6-8.
We as they say are mere mortals. Our life in this world begins at conception and ends a handful of years later. We do not know how long we will live, nor can we predict the future.
The only thing that is certain is one day we will enter eternity. At that time we will stand before God whether you believe in him or not.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“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.
Will you?
The cry of Jesus to all humanity is,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
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.
Ultimately the choice is up to you the individual. You can believe Jesus is all he said he is, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind or you can reject him.
When God created mankind, He did not make robots that would always do what he wanted them to do without thinking.
Quite the opposite. God created each individual with a freewill to do as he or she wished. That freewill extends to believing in Him or not. Thus you have the right to say God doesn’t exist.
That being said, 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.
Please think about it.

God

God.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

                                                                                    Genesis 1:1.

Today in Canada is Boxing day. The day after Christians celebrate the day God sent His one and Only Son into the world to save the world from their sins.
I know there are many who do not believe as Christians believe. That is their right. I know there are many people around the world that do not believe in the existence of God. That is their right.
Just because someone does not believe in God, does not mean He dose not exist. As C. S. Lewis put it in his book The Problem of Pain,
“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.
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It was written to believers and therefore has no need to do so. It simply makes the statement,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

                                                                                    Genesis 1:1.

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.
What he says is true. It is because of the belief in God that we have the ten commandments. Basic rules for living not only for God, but living in harmony with ones fellow man. No Atheist group from ancient times to the present day has come up with a more complete set of rules.
Such rules are, I believe, written on the very hearts of all men from birth. Every person in the world whether they have read the Bible or not instinctively know what is right and what is wrong.
It is when men fail to recognize these basic laws that society starts to fall apart. The best example is the rise of the Nazis in Germany during the 1930's through to the end of world war two.
Hitler and his henchmen chose to live by their own rules. They legalized murder on an industrial scale. Killing in excess of twelve million in the gas chambers. They arrested people simply because they disagreed with them. They stole private property.
Their actions plunged the world into a war that would cost fifty-six million plus lives.
These men did not fear God, and when the fear of God is not there. When the fear that they will not be held accountable is taken away evil can run rampant.
The Psalmist tells us,
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;...” Psalm 111: 10a.
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.
Ultimately however it is up to you the reader who must decide as to whether you believe in God or not.
Still I would ask you to consider this,
“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 before you place your wager, consider reading at least the New Testament. Learn what the writers believed about God and Jesus Christ.
Please think about it. 

Belief in God

Belief in God
Isaiah the Prophet wrote,

“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. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

but the word of our God stands forever.” 

                                                       Isaiah 40:6-8.

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 111:10

The writer of Proverbs states,

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; 

fear the LORD and shun evil.” 

                                         Proverbs 3:7.

Not surprising the Bible that was written to believers in God, believes there is an almighty eternal God that we should trust and worship.
By contrast there are those in the world who say there is no God.
To my way of thinking someone who thinks there is no God, is someone who thinks they are all knowing or fails to look around them and see the facts.
A believer in God can say as the Psalmist does,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

                                              Psalm 19:1.

A believer in God can point to science and say that the universe from the largest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle and everything in between is so perfectly in tune with each other that it allows life as we know it to exist.
To say the universe simply assembled itself out of chaos caused by the big bang is if you think about it a great leap of faith.
Those of us who believe in God can actually point to the big bang and say God used it to create the universe. After all the Bible states,

“In the beginning God created 

the heavens and the earth.” 

                                 Genesis 1:1.

To me as a Christian, God starting the universe with the “big bang” as scientist call it seems logical. How long it took to get from the moment of creation to where we are today is immaterial to my faith.
It matters little to my faith if the universe as we know it was created by God over billions of years or in six twenty-four hour days.
The fact is I believe God exists and that He created the heavens and the earth. To say otherwise does not make sense to me.
And I believe good science is on my side.
The choice however is up to you the reader for ultimately there is a faith factor in believing in God. Just as there is a faith factor is saying God does not exist.
No one living to day was there on the day of creation thus we have,
1/ The Bible telling us there is a God.
2/ The Bible stating, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
3/ Science telling us that the universe had a beginning.
4/ Science indicating that the universe is precisely tuned to allow life as we know it to exist.
The choice however is up to you the reader. That being said consider this. Blaise Pascal wrote this about believing in God. He said,
“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.
Please think about it.

Bet your life

Bet your life
“Jesus said to her, “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.
On the Wall of my office is a drawing by Leighton Jones it’s a caricature of a bookie. It’s called the honest bookie. As I looked at it I wondered how many people gamble every day with their lives. And I’m not talking about dare devils or people engaged in dangerous work or risk takers. I’m talking about the average person.
We all know we will not get out of this life alive. The ultimate statistic tells us the day your born is the day you move inevitably toward your passing from this life. Most think little of it. Still it doesn’t take away the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”
Some say God does not exist. Many will tell you that if your good outweighs your bad you will go to heaven. But how do you know if your good will outweigh your bad by God’s standard?
As a Christian I believe you can know here and now where you will spend eternity.
C. S. Lewis put it this way,
“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.
The apostle Paul said,
“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.
It is by the grace of God we get to heaven.
Christians believe God knowing mans shortcomings reached down in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“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.
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.  
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.
I know there are people out there who do not believe a word I have written. I respect their beliefs. I respect them because God has given each person a free will. That freewill extends to believing in God or not.
The question however is are you sure in your belief?
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.
Where are you placing your wager?
Please think about it.

Faith

Faith
The writer of Hebrews tells us,
“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. 
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.  
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. 
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 
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. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.  
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”Hebrews 1:1-16.
I have heard Hebrews chapter one called the roll of the faithful. It defines faith as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” then notes, “This is what the ancients were commended for.”
     Men and women who had faith in God even though they did not see in their lifetime the fruition of the promise God had given them.
Today in the twenty-first century faith in anything is hard to have. We live in a very if you will tactile world. We need to see and feel things otherwise we do not believe in it.
God however asks us to have faith in Him. 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 writing to the Galatians he states of himself,
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.
Faith in the twenty-first century is all around us. People believe in politicians, in philosophers, even in fad diets, herbal remedies and much more. All are promising a better way of life. Yet few offering any concrete proof they will do what they say. All with potential negative consequences of making life worse if their claims prove false.
When it comes to God however many people refuse to have faith in Him. Yet faith in God costs us nothing and is devoid of risk especially in this life.
Blaise Pascal said,
“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.
Please think about it.

God and You

God and you
The Book of Genesis tells us,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
Now whether God created the heavens and the earth in six days of sixty billion years has no bearing on my faith. I believe there is a God and that He created the universe and everything in it.
That being said there was a picture taken back in 1990 by the NASA space probe Voyager. Voyager has the distinction of flying further in space than any other space craft. It is still going and is now beyond the solar system. I’ve put the picture at the top of this article. Carl Sagan at the time called it a Pale blue dot.
Officially this “Pale Blue Dot” is a photograph of planet Earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometres (3.7 billion miles,)
Carl Sagan said of it,
“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.” Carl Sagan.
When I as a Christian look at it I am amazed. This “mote of dust” as Sagan calls it is in the exact spot not only in the solar system but in the universe for life to exist as we know it.
Yet looked at in terms of the universe as a whole it seems insignificant. It is so small that it could easily be overlooked.
God however did not overlook it. John’s gospel tells us,
“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. 
God considered His creation and in particular mankind so important that He in the form of Jesus Christ entered this world to point mankind to heaven.
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.
That being said I admit it takes a great deal of faith to believe as I and other Christians do.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope

 for and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                                                                   Hebrews 11:1.
I believe God wanted things this way because people of faith are the strongest of believers. Scientist are a good example of people of faith. They postulate a theory and continue to believe in it until it is proven wrong. Albert Eienstein is a good example. Some of his theories were not proven until well after his death.
Thus it is with anyone who believes in God.
Billy Graham the great American evangelist said,

“I can't prove it scientifically, that there's a God,

but I believe.”

                                                                        Billy Graham.
Blaise Pascal said belief in God I believe is a wise wager. He 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.
The writer of Hebrews tells 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
 Thus the question becomes are you willing to wager on what you believe in regards to God?
Please think about it.

Do you Believe?

Do you believe?

“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.

Martin Luther King jr. wrote,
“We need not join the mad rush to purchase an earthly fallout shelter. God is our eternal fallout shelter.” Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
Martin Luther King wrote above words at the height of the cold war. At a time when a thermonuclear war was feared. When people thought our civilization might be wiped off the face of the earth and millions if not billions would die.
The fact is millions of people world wide die every day due to natural causes alone, not to mention disease, starvation, war and other things.
The ultimate statistic is the fact that each person born will one day die. The question is however where will you spend eternity.
I am a Christian and I firmly believe the individual is an eternal being. We live forever. Life does not end in death.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“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.
Will you?
You have a choice in this world where you will spend eternity. I as a Christian believe the words of Jesus who 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.  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.
We Christians do not believe we can live a life good enough to get to heaven that is why God in the form of Jesus entered our world to offer us salvation. 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.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“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.
Christians believe it is by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ that we get to heaven. 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.
Here’s something to think about. Blaise Pascal a Christian philosopher 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
Thus the choice is yours. Do you believe in God? Are you willing to accept the grace that comes from God through Christ Jesus?
Take some time to read the New Testament and see what Christians believe.
Please think about it.

Believe in the Son

Believe in the Son
The apostle John states,

“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. 

Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,

 because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.  

And this is the testimony: 

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  

He who has the Son has life; 

he who does not have the Son of God 

does not have life.” 

1John5:10-12

The apostle John throughout his gospel and his letters makes some very clear statements about Jesus and a persons relationship with Jesus.
Here he makes it clear,
1/ God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
2/ He who has the Son has life;
3/ he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
In his gospel John quotes Jesus 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.
These are if you think about it radical statements. That if right, as I as a Christian believe they are, they have eternal implications for all who here about Jesus.
Jesus is the one and only Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
C. S. Lewis states,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C. S. Lewis.
To those who read this and are not a Christian I would ask that you take time to read the New Testament. What have you to loose.
Blaise Pascal wrote of God,
“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.
The same is true of Jesus. If he is the Son of God as we Christians think then you gain eternity with God and all that goes with it. If what Christians believe is false then you loose nothing.
Please think about it.
Post Script.
If you want a free copy of the Bible there is free download called You Version that is available to all who would want to read about God, Jesus and what the apostles of Christ taught.
It cost nothing to download and nothing to read it for yourself.  

A Treasure

A Treasure
Jesus told this parable,
“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.
As Christians we believe that we have the most important thing in the history of the world to tell people about, Jesus Christ. A treasure of great value.
A treasure we feel it would be morally wrong to not tell people about.
That message is about Jesus and the salvation only he can bring.
Jesus 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

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.

The apostle Paul wrote,
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 
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 5:5-8.
The apostle Paul reminds us,

“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.

It is by the grace of God that we enter heaven through faith in God and saving Grace of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews tells 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

Faith defined as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

 Hebrews 11:1

If we Christians are wrong we have lost nothing. By living according to the teachings of Jesus. We have lived at the very least a good life.
Blaise Pascal said,

“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.

Please think about it.