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.

Christian Belief

Christian Belief

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’” ? 
Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” ? 
  And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” 
But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 
                                                                                   Hebrews 1:1-9.
Here is sound Christian belief. The writer of Hebrews telling us several important things about Jesus,
1/“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”  
2/“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
3/ The writer notes that the Son (Jesus), provided purification for our sins.  
“After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
4/ Jesus is superior to the angels.
“So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”
5/The writer noting that God said, 
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” 
6/The writer saying,
“And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 
7/Then finally the writer says,
“...about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
In conclusion
Jesus is the Son of God, the creator of the universe, the Saviour of the world. The one who died for our sins. And His throne will last for ever and ever.
You cannot be a Christian if you do not believe this.
You cannot enter heaven if you do not believe in Jesus.
Jesus 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
Please think about it

Christian Belief

Christian belief

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’” ? 
Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” ? 
  And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” 
But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 
                                                                                 Hebrews 1:1-9.
Here is sound Christian belief. The writer of Hebrews telling us several important things about Jesus,
1/“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”
2/“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
3/ The writer notes that the Son (Jesus), provided purification for our sins.
“After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
4/ Jesus is superior to the angels.
“So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”
5/The writer noting that God said,
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” 
6/The writer saying,
“And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 
7/Then finally the writer says,
“...about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
In conclusion
Jesus is the Son of God, the creator of the universe, the Saviour of the world. The one who died for our sins. And His throne will last for ever and ever.
You cannot be a Christian if you do not believe this.
You cannot enter heaven if you do not believe in Jesus.
Jesus 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
Please think about it.

Warning

Warning
“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.” 
                                                                                                   2 Timothy 4:3,4.
One of the reoccurring themes in the apostle Paul’s letters is that of watching out for false teachers. Men and women who are leading people astray.
Men and women who stray from sound doctrine, turn to if you will “yes men” people who will tell them what they want to hear. They will turn away from truth.
This happens in North America it seems regularly.
Here in North America there are men and women who are interpreting the scriptures to suite their own beliefs. Some are even interpreting scripture in such away as to scam money from people. Both these groups search the scriptures and ‘cherry pick’ verses that seem to support their way of thinking.
Sadly Christians fall for it. Most Christians believe what they are told without question. They hear an evangelist or pastor quote scripture and never check to see if it’s in context. The definitely never consult a commentary to check the theology.
The prominent thing in North America right now seems to be the so called ‘name it claim it’ crowd. Those who espouse the ‘seed faith’ theory. Meaning sow ten dollars to God’s work (quite often they mean sow into their ministry) to get a hundred, sow a hundred to get a thousand.
They treat God like some benevolent banker that gives, a hundred or even a thousand percent interest.
There are others over the years who have written books some best sellers that are nothing more than twisting of scripture. One of the best known being the Y2K prediction. Saying the worlds computers were going to go wild causing all kinds of problems in the year 2000. It didn’t happen.
The latest is the so called ‘Blood Moon’ prediction. Supposedly predicting events that are about to happen to Israel. Yet there have been numerous blood moons since the time of Christ. None have predicted major events. The closest was the Blood moons that occurred ten months after the six day war. Not a very good prediction.
God when he gives a prophesy tells what will happen before the event not after.
Sadly there are many Christians out there that fall for these things.
We as Christians I believe need to be spending more time reading the Bible ourselves. We need to be praying earnestly and asking God to show us the truths in the scriptures.
We need to be holding evangelist and pastors to account. If they are teaching falsely we need to be asking them to admit they made a mistake.
If they don’t admit their mistake we need to be shunning them.
The apostle Paul says,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 
                                                                                        1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
Dear Christian please think about it.

Are you willing?

Are you willing?
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 
Matthew 19:16-26.
Here is a simple story about faith in Christ. It comes down to what you consider the most important thing in life, God or your possessions and lifestyle.
This young man had wealth, the wealth bought him a good lifestyle.
Intellectually he obeyed the law but that it seems is where it ends. He didn’t have the faith to give up all he owned and follow Christ. He lacked the faith that if he followed Christ, God would supply his needs.
Now let me make things clear hear there is nothing wrong with being rich. Paul writing to Timothy says,
“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.
This I think was part of the problem with the young man who came to Christ. He loved his money, his possessions. His faith was in his possessions.
There are a lot of wealthy people in the church today as there was in the early church. It was the wealthy in the early church that help fund its expansion. The church needs people who are willing to give of their wealth to help with Evangelism and the building up of the church.
Still a true person of faith should not be relying on their material goods. Their faith like everyone else’s should be in God.
The hardest thing a person can do is follow Christ by faith especially if you’re use to having wealth. But if you put your trust truly in God you will not be let down. He will supply all your needs.
So dear Christian where is your faith?
Think about it.

A Conversation

A Conversation

“Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 
Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” 
                                                                    John 4: 21-26.
Here as Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman Jesus breaks several social norms of the day, tells who he is, and what God the Father seeks.
First of all he a Jewish teacher speaks to a Samaritan woman. Jewish teachers hardly ever spoke to women additionally Jews considered Samaritans unclean and thus didn’t associate with them.
Secondly he predicts that the time will come “when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”
In other words something had to happen to prevent the worship at the temple. Something that occurred with the destruction of the Temple in 70 A. D.  shortly after the death of Jesus.
  Thirdly Jesus goes on to say,
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
Here is what the God the Father wants. God doesn’t care where we worship Him. A building is just a building. True believers worship God wherever they are.
We Christians believe each person is a part of the church. Believers in Christ make up the Church it is not a bricks and mortar structure.
The fourth thing Jesus admits to here, Jesus admits to being the Messiah.
The question to those who claim to be Christians is, do you worship God in spirit and in truth.
To those who are not Christians the question is, a question that Jesus asked Martha,
“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?” 
                                                                                                                             John 11:25,26.
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of the world?
Please think about it.

Mary's Song

Mary’s Song

“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. 
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” 
                                                             Luke 1:46-55.
The Song of Mary or the Magnificat is Mary the mother of Christ singing the praises of God because she had been chosen to give birth to God’s anointed.
Mary did not know it at the time but a lot of things would transpire in her life and in the life of the child she was to bear.
At a young age probably when Jesus was around the age of two she and her husband Joseph had to flee with their infant son to Egypt to protect him.
She would watch her son grow to manhood. She would see him become a teacher of the word of God. She would see his fame grow and his enemies plot against him.
And she would see him beaten and placed on a Roman cross to die a horrible death.
Mary however would witness that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. She would witness that he rose from the grave conquering death, walk on this earth again briefly before ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
Mary if you will was probably the first Christian. She witnessed and believed all that Christians today believe.
She believed the words of her son when he said,
 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                             John 14:6.
Mary would have believed the words of John who wrote,
“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.
She would have believed because through her God Himself entered into His creation. She had no doubt about that.
She would have also believed the words of her Son who 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.
The question is do you?
Please think about it.

Advice from Jesus

Advice from Jesus

“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.
Christian do you practice these words of Jesus?
Because I am close to the American border we get an American television station claiming to be Christian over the air. Sadly they have many programs that at least to my mind are attacking everything from the gay community to Muslims and almost everything in between. They say they are only putting out the facts but that’s not how I see it. Nor for that matter do those who are being attacked.
We have no right to judge others outside the Church. The Apostle Paul says,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 
                                                                                               1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist made a good point when he said,
“We ought to get out of the judging business. We should leave it up to God to determine who belongs in one arena or another when it comes to eternity. What we are obligated to do is to tell people about Jesus, and that's what I do.”
                                                  Tony Campolo
That’s what we all should be doing. Jesus made it clear what the job of the Christian is when he said,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                                                              Matthew 28:18-20.
We as Christians cannot make disciples if we are constantly criticizing others. If we are trying to restrict the rights of others even if we disagree with them.
Again to quote Campolo,
“Let us preach Christ, let us be faithful to proclaiming the Gospel, but let's leave judgment in the hands of God.”
                              Tony Campolo.
Please think about it.

The Fear of God

The fear of God

“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.
“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.
Dear Christian
Do you fear God, or do you take Him lightly. The Talmud a Jewish book while not recognized by Christians as a holy book has an interesting concept I think is relevant to Christians. 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.
We will be held accountable to God for everything we did. As Christians we believe we are saved through faith in Christ Jesus. But it shouldn’t end their. We need to be doing what we can for our fellow man. James the brother of Christ puts it this way,
“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.

What are you doing to help your fellow man?
Please think about it.

Christian duty

Christian duty

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
   Matthew 6:1-4
There is an interesting concept from Judaism that Christians I believe should latch on to. Its called Tzedakah
The following is as good an explanation of Tzedakah as I can find. It comes from a Jewish website,
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word “charity suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.
Giving to the poor is an obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are themselves in need. Some sages have said that tzedakah is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a person who does not perform tzedaka is equivalent to an idol worshipper. This is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance ot tzedakah in Jewish thought....
According to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor. This generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes...
Those who are dependent on public assistance or living on the edge of subsistence my give less but must still give to the extent they are able; however, no person should give so much that he would become a public burden...
The obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to health care institutions, to Synagogues or educational institutions. It can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age. The obligation includes giving both to Jews and gentiles.
Levels of Tzedakah
Certain kinds of tzedakah are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these different levels of tzedakah, and Rambam organized them into a list. The levels of charity from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are: 

Giving begrudgingly

Giving less than you should, be giving cheerfully,

Giving after being asked

Giving before being asked

Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows yours

Giving when you know and the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know yours.

Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.

Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant. 

As Christians the above is something we should consider. It is perfectly in line with Christian belief.
After all James the brother of Christ wrote,
“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.

A Statement Under Oath

A statement under oath

“But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 
“Yes, it is as you say,”Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.” 
                                                                          Matthew 26:63-65.
Here is a truth about Jesus. He made the statement under oath before the high priest that He was the Christ, the Son of God. Further more he went on to say,
“In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Quite a statement. Jesus was an educated man he knew Jewish law. He knew what claiming to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God would bring on him if the high priest did not believe him.
The high priest did not believe him saying,
“He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.” 
At that moment the fate of Jesus was sealed. Under Jewish law of the day Jesus had to be put to death. All they had to do was convince the Roman governor to let them do it. Which for political expediency he did.
Christians believe Jesus is all he said he is. We believe He is the Son of God, we believe he is the suffering Messiah who will one day return to earth. We believe he is the Christ.
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity makes valid point when he says,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 
                                                                                      C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
I know there are many out there who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God the Christ, the Messiah.
What I would ask them is to study the New Testament particularly the first four books. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Keep in mind that for Jesus to make the claim he was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. It would get Him the death penalty.
Ask yourself would an intelligent, well educated man say the things he did if he were not the Son of God.
And here’s one more thing to consider. In Acts chapter five we are told the story of two of Jesus’ disciples preaching in his name. They are brought before a Jewish religious court who wanted to put them to death for making the claims that Jesus is the Son of God. A wise man among them however rose and said,
“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 
                          Acts 5:38,39.
Over two thousand years have come and gone since then. Christianity is now the largest religion in the world and still growing. Not only that it is growing without the use of force. It is a faith built on love for God, ones fellow man, and even ones enemies.
I contend that Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
I only ask that you think about it.
Post Script to Christians,
There many out there who claim to be Christians but do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. I firmly believe that you cannot be a Christian and not believe Jesus is the Son of God. The entire New Testament makes that clear.

Our Prayer

Our prayer

Jesus said

 “This, then, is how you should pray: 

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our debts, 

as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one.’  

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, 

your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 

But if you do not forgive men their sins, 

your Father will not forgive your sins.”        

                                                                                       Matthew  6:9-15
The lesson of the Lords Prayer is simple.

1/

It tells us to recognize the holiness of God. 

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”

2/

It tells us to ask God to bring His kingdom into being on earth as in heaven,

“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

3/

It asks God to supply our daily needs.

“Give us today our daily bread.”

Then it states,

4/

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

For give our debts, our sins, in the same way we forgive those who sin against us. 

5/

We are then instructed to ask that God leads us not into temptation. 

To deliver us from the evil one.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus then concludes with,
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  
Put another way Jesus in Matthew seven states,
“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.
Dear Christian
Do you do things this way?
Please think about it.