Who's your friend, Who's your master?

  Who’s your friend, Who’s your master?

In the book of James we read,

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4.

As believers in Christ Jesus we have two choices. We can follow Jesus putting our faith completely in God. Or we can chose to turn from God and follow the world. We can’t have both at the same time.

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” Matthew 16:19-21,24.

My point here is we must put our faith in God ahead of the things in this world. That’s not to say we should retreat into our church buildings or have only Christian friends. The apostle Paul points out,

"I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters.”1 Corinthians 5:9-10.

Even Jesus sat with sinners in the gospel of Mark we read,

“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners'?" 

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:16,17.

If we truly believe in Christ Jesus. We will put our faith completely in God letting God direct our paths. Letting God open doors for us to work for Him.

So who’s your friend?

Who’s your Master?

Please think about it.

Who are you bowing to?

   Who are you bowing to?

The Psalmist writes,

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; 

before the "gods" I will sing your praise."

                                                               Psalm 138:1.

It is important that we as Christians are not ashamed to praise God. The world has many ‘gods' and sadly all too many people calling themselves Christians are bowing down to these gods be it the god of materialism, a politician, or even a preacher, teacher or evangelist we follow blindly.

As Christians we must always keep our priorities strait. We must focus on God and praise Him with our whole heart.

Are you praising God or are you bowing to the gods of this world?

Please think about it.

Who'd you trust?

  Who’d you trust?

In Proverbs

Those who trust in their riches will fall, 

but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

                                                               Proverbs 11:28

The Psalmist writes,

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." 

                                                                            Psalm 20:7.

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” Matthew 16:19-21,24.

So here is a simple question to anyone who calls themselves a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus.

In what or in whom do you put your trust?

Please think about it.

Two Masters

 Two Masters

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 16:19-21,24.

From my perch here in Canada I see many who call themselves Christians wanting to have their feet in both worlds. They want to be wealthy and they want to serve God.

Now there’s nothing wrong with being wealthy. Many wealthy people throughout the centuries have helped fund church growth. 

The problem becomes when acquiring wealth and all that it can buy you becomes more important than God.

Our service to God should be paramount in our life. And we don’t need to be rich to serve God. We just need to be willing to serve Him.

So my questions to you dear reader is;

Who is your master? 

Where is your treasure?

Are you willing to put God and service to Him over your earthly wealth?

Please think about it.

Who do you love?

 Who do you love?

The Apostle Paul wrote,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10.

Jesus said,

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Matthew 6:24.

So who do you love? Who do you serve? God or Money which comes first in your life?

Now there is nothing wrong with being wealthy. The trouble comes when you love money so much it becomes your god and turns you away from God.

Every Christian must answer this question for themselves. Do they love God or money. Do they love the things of this world or the things of God?

Thus the question I have for you the reader; If you consider yourself a Christian do you love God more than the things of this world?

Please think about it.

The Wisdom of God

The Wisdom of God

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  
1 Corinthians 1:18-24
The way in which Jesus came to this earth in man’s terms at least seems odd.
Jesus was not born in a King’s palace where he could have exercised great influence. Instead he was born to simple parents who were devout believers.
Being devout believers his parents would have taught him the tenants of their and his faith.
Also as I see it, growing up as an average person Jesus experienced everything it was to be a man.
Wealthy people as good as most may be, quite often don’t understand what it is to be poor and live from hand to mouth.
Jesus as he was growing up must have seen the poor around him. He certainly understood what it was like for the average person on the street. He understood the temptations of the average person. He would also have seen any oppression.
It would have been counter productive for him to grow up in a wealthy family with all of the worldly comforts, if he was to judge the world.
No one standing before Jesus can ever say, “You don’t understand what it is to be in my position, to be poor or average.” because he does. He lived as an ordinary person as most of the population lived.
He can also look at the rich and powerful on that day of judgement and say “you could have done more. You had to power to change the lives of the poor and needy.”
Paul also says,
“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
There are a lot of sceptics in the world with regard to Christ and God. There are a lot of unbelievers who simply can’t or won’t take an open and honest look at the Bible. Who wont read even just the New Testament.
Some people will admit Jesus is a good man. But they can’t make that leap of faith and say he is the Son of God.
Many people of faith, don’t believe God would allow Jesus to go to the cross.
The crucifixion for me, shows in human terms just how far God would go to reconcile man to himself.
He is saying I love you so much I would die for you.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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. 
It takes a leap of faith to believe in Jesus but Christ is waiting for all who would believe with outstretched hands. All we have to say is I believe.
Think about it.