What will you hear?

 What will you hear?

In the gospel of Luke we read,

"And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” Luke 1:46-50.

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

"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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

We live in a generation world wide where people do not fear God. And it’s not just people in the secular world. It’s people within the church. People claiming to be Christian.

Now I can only speak for what I see here in North America where I live. The North American church is losing its fear of God. It takes God for granted. It goes its own way mixing Gods word with politics and other things. That it thinks will help its cause.

We as believers in Christ Jesus cannot allow this to happen. The apostle Paul warns, 

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

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

That time has come. There are people, pastors, and evangelist, here in North America that are twisting the gospel message to align with what they believe should be. When it should be we who align our beliefs with that of the Bible.

The apostle Paul writing to Timothy said,

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2Timothy 2:15.

The consequences for individuals who do not correctly handle the word of God. Who do not fear God is I believe simple. They will hear the words of Jesus recorded in Matthews gospel, who said,

“Many will say to me  on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:22,23.

Question; if you consider yourself a follower of Christ Jesus what will you hear when you stand before God?

Please think about it.

Nothing Gained

Nothing gained
The book of Ecclesiastes records,
"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.
For me if there is no God life is meaningless.
If all life is, is gathering a few bobbles, bangles and beads. Gathering wealth or for that matter doing great deeds. Life is meaningless. For all of the things we have acquired in this life will be dispersed among others when we die. As for those who do great deeds many if not all with the passage of time will be forgotten. Their names found only in history books.
The writer of Ecclesiastes got it perfectly right when he wrote,
  “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 writer also states,
“Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2.
While we shouldn’t dwell on death. I firmly believe we should ask ourselves the question “what will happen to me when I die?”
Tony Campolo the American evangelist make a good point when he states,
“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?
Please think about it.

morals to live by

Morals to live by
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 are God’s ideals given to mankind. God’s Moral code given to mankind that man might live in harmony with God and with other men.
They were not written in pen and ink so that they could be erased. They were engraved on tablets of stone. The very words were part of the stone themselves. They could not be erased.
These are the ideals I believe God has written on the hearts of every person that is living or has ever lived. They are universal truths, core values for living in a civilized society.
Such values did not come from the minds of Atheist, but believers in the one true 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.
It is only when individuals and society turns their back on God and His moral values that society suffers.
Hitler during world war two showed the world dramatically how turning away from God’s teachings can cause incredible harm. Fifty six million plus men women and Children killed during world war two. Six million Jews and an equal number of others murdered in an industrial killing machine that was Nazi Germany.
Such killing did not end with Hitler. Stalin and other atheistic leaders throughout the twentieth century have killed millions. As are many terrorist groups today. Individuals who say they are of God but are not, for they are breaking one of the fundamental laws of God, “do not Kill”.
On the streets of every major city there are individuals and gangs who kill and steal. A testament that failure to fear not only man’s laws but God and his judgement causes grief.
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
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.

As society turns away from God, or individuals twists and misinterprets God’s word to say what they want it to say, society I believe moves relentlessly down a slope toward a lake filled with burning brimstone.
Please think about it.