Your Life

Your Life
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.
Francis of Assisi wrote,
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 
                                                                                                          Francis of Assisi
What is your sermon telling the people around you? Is your life reflecting the love of God to those around you.
Jesus said,
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
                          Matthew 5:13-16
A great light shines on the Christian. The eternal resting place of people we come in contact with may depend on us. By our deeds will people will judge, not only us, but Christ.
We must at all times act in an ethical and moral way toward those around us. We cannot afford to do less.
All too often I’ve heard “Why should I go to church. I know people who say they are Christians and I live lives that are better than them.”
As Christians we need to be going before God each day and asking him to show us how we can live a better life. How we can live a life acceptable to Him.
Billy Graham said,
“The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.”
                                                                                                                                         Billy Graham.
Is your heart turned right side up?
When people look at you and your life do they see a morally and ethically good person? Do they see Christ reflected in your life and lifestyle?
For many years I was a professional clown. I did everything from Children’s birthday parties to major events to which thousands showed up. Before I left my home to perform I said a simple prayer that I still say each morning. I pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
May your will be done in my life this day. May I perform to the best of my ability. May I bring a little joy, happiness, and laughter to those whom I preform in front of. May all who see me see Jesus reflected in my life.
                            Amen.
You may not think you are performing but you are. Your life is a performance. Each day when you meet people they consciously or subconsciously are judging your performance.
So what will they see in your performance?
Please think about it.

Depart “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-46. If we know someone in need I believe it is our Christian duty as far as it is possible for us to do so we are to help that person. With one proviso that it should never leave us so short as to be dependent on others. James in his letter to the church said, “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 ? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:14-26. Dear Christian is your faith dead? Are you simply having faith in Jesus without backing that faith with actions. As James said, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” James 2:24. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16. Is your light shining for the world to see? Please think about it.art

Depart
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” 
                                                                                                                Matthew 25:34-46.
If we know someone in need I believe it is our Christian duty as far as it is possible for us to do so we are to help that person. With one proviso that it should never leave us so short as to be dependent on others.
James in his letter to the church said,
“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 ?  
Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.  
You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
                                                                                                         James 2:14-26.
Dear Christian is your faith dead? Are you simply having faith in Jesus without backing that faith with actions. As James said,
“You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” 
                                                                                                                  James 2:24.
Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world. 

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. 

Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

In the same way, let your light shine before men, 

that they may see your good deeds 

and praise your Father in heaven.” 

                                                                                             Matthew 5:14-16.
Is your light shining for the world to see?
Please think about it.