The Fear of God

The Fear of God
The Psalmist states,

“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

Abba Hellel Silver said
“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.
I firmly believe that an orderly society could not have evolved if there was no God. God I believe has if you will engraved on the harts and in the minds of each individual what is right and what is wrong.
He has expressed in basic form how he expects individuals to act with respect to God and to ones fellow man when he gave the ten commandments.
“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.
It is when mankind fails to recognize these basic principles laid down by God that society starts to fall apart and human life becomes cheap.
 It is when man fails to recognize there is a God who will one day judge him that people feel free to do as they wish.
We only have to look at Nazi Germany during world war two to see how true this is. Hitler and his henchmen turned from God and embraced evil, not fearing God’s wrath. As a result tens of millions suffered and died in what was the worst conflict in human history.
This is true of every dictator that has ever risen. When they do not recognize or fear God individuals suffer.
It is therefor I believe important that individuals and society as a whole recognize God and at the very least obey the ten commandments to ensure a civilized society.
Please think about it.

I Believe

I Believe
The Psalmist writes,

“I wait for the LORD, 

my soul waits,

 and in his word I put my hope.” 

                                          Psalm 130:5.

In my previous blog I quoted Voltaire as saying

To believe in God is impossible 

not to believe in Him is absurd.” 

                                             Voltaire.  

I do believe this. I believe God exists and that Jesus Christ is his one and only Son.
I believe the apostle 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.
I believe Jesus was their when the Universe and everything in it was created.
For me it is a purely faith thing. Although not a blind faith thing. You see the Psalmist tells us,

“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.

As I look at it science done properly will point people to God the Creator of all things.
Science shows us there is an orderly universe. Every thing from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies are in perfect harmony to let life exist as we know it here on earth.
I cannot believe this came into being randomly.
For me God exists and no one can change my mind. I know it’s a faith thing but even if God does not exist having faith in Him does not hurt.
What is dangerous and can hurt is not believing God exists only to find when you pass into eternity God exists and you have not had the faith to believe in Him.
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 

Please think about it.

Thoughts on God

Thoughts on God
The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
The writer defining faith as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope  for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                       Hebrews 11:1

Voltaire said,

“To believe in God is impossible 

not to believe in Him is absurd.” 

                                             Voltaire.

Blaise Pascal said,

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

 and enough shadows to blind those who don't. 

                                                         Blaise Pascal.

C. S. Lewis states,
“He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition.”  C. S. Lewis.
You have to truly be looking for God in order to find Him.
In my life I have found when it comes to faith in God there are extremes. At on end of the spectrum there are those who truly believe in God, no matter what the situation. While at the other end there are those who no matter what you say to them, or show them, they do not believe God exists.
Thomas Aquinas put it this way,
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” Thomas Aquinas.
As a believer in Christ Jesus I believe God exists and nothing can convince me otherwise.
    At the same time I support the right of those who do not believe God exists to have their opinion. For I firmly believe God has given everyone a freewill to believe and do as they wish. That includes not believing God exists.
What I would ask of those who do not believe in God is, are you absolutely sure you are correct?
I as a believer in God, as a believer in Christ Jesus, have nothing to fear if God does not exist.
On the other hand if you do not believe in God and He does exist there is at the very least something to think about, if not fear.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“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.
Having said that and more the writer comes to this conclusion,
“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.
Please think about it.

Invisible Lost

Invisible Lost
The Gospel of John records this conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. John notes,
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 
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 John 4:19-24.
Here Jesus points out that a time was about to come when believers in God would no longer worship on Mount Gerizim where the Samaritans worshipped or in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped.
That time came not long after the crucifixion of Jesus. When the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews dispersed throughout the world.
Jesus goes on to point out that,
“...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.”
God wants true worship.
Within churches today there are many, many people who attend church because it is the social thing to do. They attend because their parents and grandparents attended. They go because it’s a feel good thing. They even go because they feel obligated to go. They do not go because they want to worship God in spirit and in truth. They may not even understand what worshipping God in spirit and in truth means. Someone has called them the “invisible lost”.
The “invisible lost” generally know all the ritual of the church. They know the set prayers. They know when to say amen and halleluiah. They know the hymns and other music by hart.
Sadly however they do not have that personal relationship with Christ Jesus, and sadly these people are being overlooked by believers in Christ Jesus.
Believers in Christ Jesus are quiet good at looking outside of church congregations for those who are lost. For those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Sadly however they are missing the lost within their own congregations.
It to my way of thinking is the job of the true believer in Christ Jesus to reach out to not only those outside the church but to those inside. To ensure no soul is ever lost.
Please think about it.

Christians Claim

Christians Claim
The apostle Paul wrote,

“For in Christ

 all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

                                                        Colossians 2:9.

The writer of the book of Hebrews states,
“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.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
Here we read about three important things believers in Christ Jesus believe.
1/ Christ is divine. He is the exact representation of God’s being.
2/ That is was through Christ the universe was made.
3/ Christ provides purification for sins. 
Put simply Jesus is God part of what Christians refer to as the God Head, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If this is not true then those of us who believe in Christ Jesus are sadly misled as are billions of believers today and throughout the centuries.
Henry Ward Beecher said,
“If Christ is not divine, every impulse of the Christian world falls to a lower octave, and light and love and hope decline.”  Henry Ward Beecher.
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.

The Ride

The Ride
The book of Proverbs tells us,

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, 

and he examines all his paths.”

                                                  Proverbs 5:21.

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 poet wrote,

“Ticket”

“Where am I?

What, am...

I doing here?”

“You are her.”

Says the Conductor.

“Your ticket please.”

“I bought no ticket.

I took no ride.

Where am I?”

“Your ride is over,                       You are here.                     All take the ride.
Your ticket’s paid for,               Says the Conductor               You are here.

Your ticket please,                    Please your ticket.              Your ticket please.”

“I took no ride!

Where am I?

I demand to know!

I took no...

ride...

Am I...”

“You are here.

All take the ride.

The ticket paid for,

With My blood.

“I am here...

I have no ticket...

And you are...”

“Jesus.”

As a believer in Christ Jesus I firmly believe that each individual will one day have to stand before God and give an account for their actions during the ride that was our life.
I firmly believe Jesus when talking about 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.
If I and other believer in Christ Jesus like me are wrong, then it is like C. S. Lewis stated,
“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.
Thus the question becomes, do you believe Christianity to be true? AND,  Are you willing to risk your eternal resting place on what you believe?
Please think about it.

How to Conquer

How to conquer
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment. 
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Earlier in the gospel of Matthew Jesus is recorded as saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” Matthew 5:43,44.
This is how you conquer the world. With love. Not, with force.
Napoleon Bonaparte late emperor of France speaking of Jesus said,
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him” Napoleon Bonaparte.
I thing the concept of conquering the world by love is lost many times, even by those who profess to be believers in Christ Jesus. Especially it seems here in North America where I live.
Sadly I see too many claiming to be followers of Christ Jesus protesting against everything they disagree with. This is not showing love.
I’m sure Jesus and the apostles living in the Roman Empire seen many, many things they would disagree with. Pagan practices that would be abhorrent to their beliefs. Yet we never hear them criticizing Rome or any group outside their own faith.
If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus consider these scriptures,
The apostle Paul states,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”Romans 12:18.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.
The Apostle Paul states.
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”Titus 3:1,2.
The apostle Peter states,
“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.
Living a good life to me means living a life of Love. The apostle Paul stating,

“Love is patient, love is kind.

 It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, 

always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

                                        1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

For me demonstrating against anyone we disagree with or laws we disagree with is wrong especially in a democracy.
I like what the late American Evangelist Billy Graham said,

It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and 

my job to love, 

                            Billy Graham.

Please think about it.

Not our Ways

Not our ways
The prophet Micah said,
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:4.
Micah predicted accurately the birth place of Jesus.
The Prophet Isaiah said,
"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 
By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 
Yet it was the LORD'S will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life  and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:1-12.
We Christians believe this is an accurate description of Jesus, the suffering Messiah. The one who would die for the sins of mankind.
I know many, especially Jews do not believe this. They are looking for the conquering Messiah one who will conquer the world and bring universal peace.
I can understand this. The Jews are probably one of, if not, the, most persecuted people in history. I can see why they would want to see a conquering Messiah. And Christians believe Jesus will one day return as that conquering Messiah bringing with Him universal peace.
That being said, as I noted, believers in Christ Jesus see Him as a suffering Messiah that takes away the sins of the world. That offers eternal life to all who would believe in Him. The apostle Paul said,
“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.  
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
In a nutshell what Paul is saying is God does not do things the way man does.
It would seem better from a human stand point for the Messiah to come in power and might and conquer the world. However to my way of thinking that would not necessarily create faithful followers. Many would simply pay lip service to God because they feared what He could do to them.
On the other hand coming as a suffering Messiah shows first of all how far in human terms God would go to show man the way to heaven. Secondly coming as a suffering Messiah requires faith on the part of the individual. Which is what God wants.
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.
The apostle Paul states,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved"Romans 10:9-13.
Ultimately however the choice is up to you the individual. You must decide for yourself whether or not Jesus is indeed the Son of God, The Saviour of mankind.
Please think about it. 

Christians and the Poor

Christians and the Poor
The Apostle James 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.
There are approximately 2000 scriptures in the Bible commanding us to look after the poor.
As Christians we are called to help the sick and poor in what ever way we can.
There is an interesting concept from Judaism that Christians should latch on to. Its called Tzedakah
The following is as good an explanation of Tzedakah, 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 the 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 may 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; contrary to popular belief, Jew do not just care for our own. Quite the contrary a study of reported in the Jewish journal indicated that Jewish ‘mega-donors’ (who give more than $10 million a year to charity found that only 6% if their mega-dollars went to specifically Jewish causes.
Judaism acknowledges that many people who ask for charity have no genuine need. In fact, the Talmud suggest that this is a good thing: if all people who asked for charity have no were in genuine Need we would be subjected to punishment for G-d for refusing anyone who asked. The existence of frauds diminishes our liability for failing to give to all who ask. Because we have some legitimate basis for doubting a beggar’s sincerity. It is permissible to investigate the legitimacy of charity before donating to it.
We have an obligation to avoid becoming in need of Tzedakah. A person should take any work available, even if he thinks it is beneath his dignity to avoid become a public charge.
However, if a person is truly in need and has no way of obtaining money on his own he should not feel embarrassed to accept 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, but 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 Jesus said,
“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.’ Matthew 25:34-40
Please think about it.

Your Words and Deeds

Your Words and Deeds
The Apostle Peter writes,
“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 2:11,12.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                     Francis of Assisi.

When people see your actions what are they seeing?
Are they seeing someone who loves God, their neighbour and even their enemy.
Are they seeing someone who shows the love of God to all those around them?
Jesus said,

“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.

If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus are you treating others the way you would like to be treated?
As followers of Christ we must be aware that people are watching us.
We need to as the apostle Peter said,
“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 2:12.
Always remember that other people see Jesus through the words and deeds of those who claim to be His followers.
Thus if you claim to be a follower of Christ it is through your words and deeds that people will see Christ.
Your words and deeds may very well bring a person to Christ or push them away from Christ.
So the question becomes. What are your words and deeds telling those around you about Christ?
Please think about it. 

Are You

You are
The apostle Peter states,
“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.” 1Peter 2:9,10.
Peter here tells us that believers in Christ Jesus are a “royal priesthood” a “holy nation” belonging to God.
This is a great honour, one we as believers in Christ should not take lightly. We must remember as a royal priesthood, we are God’s servant and must represent him in an honourable way. In the best light possible.
The apostle Paul tells us,

“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ 

and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”

                                                                                    1Corinthians 4:1,2. 

Notice Paul states we are “stewards of the mysteries of God.”
A steward while having nothing of his own was entrusted by his master to administer his affairs in the best possible way.  That is what God expects of all believers in Christ Jesus.
The apostle Paul writing to Timothy states,
“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.
Thus the question becomes, if you consider yourself a follower of Christ Jesus, are you presenting the word of God in the best way you know how to?
Please think about it.