Consequences

Consequences 
The Bible states,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It has no need to, it is written to believers in God.
Now I know there are people in the world that say there is no God. That is their opinion and I respect that. That being said, just because someone doesn’t believe in God doesn’t mean God doesn’t exist.
I believe the flaw in atheism is that the atheist put themselves in the role of god. They can’t see God so they say he doesn’t exist. But just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
In order to be absolutely sure God does not exist one must know all things and have been everywhere, including beyond the grave. These are attributes of God. Thus the atheist in saying categorically there is no God, he is saying he is god.
No man is god. Man are mortal and fallible. Men make mistakes. Quite often in life we must act in faith because we do not always have the answers. Thus it is with God. We must act in faith. We act in faith saying God does not exist, or we act in faith and say God does exist.
Either way to my mind our decision as to whether God exist or not has eternal consequences.
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.
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

You and Money

You and Money
“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.” Matthew 6:19-21.
Now let me make one thing clear here the apostle Paul writes,
“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.
It is the “love of money” that causes us problems. It is the priority we put on money,  what we do with it, and how we acquire it that causes the problems. Money in and of itself is not evil.
Money should never come before God.
Money should never take center stage in our lives.
Matthew’s gospel tells this story about a rich young man and Jesus. Matthew records,
“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.” Matthew 19:16-22.
This man apparently at least on an intellectual level believed in God. However he didn’t seem to want to trust God. He had more faith in his wealth than in God.
Thus the question becomes if you claim to believe in God. If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus. Where do you place your trust?
Please think about it.

God to me

God to me
Over the years people have asked me what is the most important thing in my life? I tell them God. For God has truly blessed me. While at the same time been with me through some of the hardest days of my life.
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it agai+n, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.
My belief in God is precious to me. That’s why I wish to do my best to represent Him in all I do. Especially when I present the Bible to anyone.
I believe it is of paramount that when I read the Bible I interpret it the right way. The way God intended.
It is easy to take portions of the Bible out of context and make it say what you want it to say. This however is wrong. One must do ones best to interpret the Bible correctly. Taking each word and verse in its proper context.
I firmly believe we should not only be reading the bible but we should be reading about the history and culture of Israel. The culture in which the Bible was written
It is far too easy to read the Bible and place our own cultural norms on it. This should not be so. 
The Bible was written I believe to show man what God expects of him and to point individuals to heaven.
If we misinterpret the Bible we run the risk of pointing both ourselves and others in the wrong direction. This can have eternal consequences.
Thus the question becomes.

If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus is God precious to you? 

Are you doing everything you can to interpret the Bible correctly?

Or

Are you twisting the scriptures to suit your own beliefs?

Please think about it.

My Belief

My Belief

Is man but an atom in space?

A mist in time?

A moment in eternity?

What is your life?

Your life or mine?

What of the life of a man?

What is the sum total of Life?

Is it a collection of bobbles bangles and beads.

A collection of artifacts past to the next generation?

Is all there is to life,

A gathering of things.

That you never can keep?

Is it a mans... 

A Woman’s duty,

to procreate,

Train the next generation,

then pass into oblivion?

Or

is life more?

Is life Eternal?

Destined to continue on through endless days?

At a place of our own choosing?

I believe you have a choice.

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.

This is what I believe.

What do you believe?

Please think about it.

No right

No right
The Psalmist writes,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.
This is one of my favourite scripture quotes. It tells me God has known me from the moment of conception.
It tells me I am unique and wonderfully made.
Above all it tells me God knows why I am the way I am. Something no individual in this world can say. Thus to my way of thinking no one has the right to judge me. Nor do I have the right to judge anyone else. Even Jesus said,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”Matthew 7:1,2.
As a believer in Christ Jesus I take Jesus admonition not to judge others to heart, for the simple reason I have no idea what makes a person the way they are.
My job as a believer in Christ is to love. 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
Matthews gospel also records Jesus 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 what I as a believer in Christ Jesus must do, love unconditionally.
Billy Graham perhaps one of the greatest evangelist at least of my generation said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                       Billy Graham.

If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus do you truly love?
Please think about it.

Your Choice

Your Choice
The New Testament writers record Jesus as saying some remarkable things. Things that if true have eternal consequences. John’s gospel records Jesus as saying,
“....“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
There are many in the world today that say there are a lot of ways to heaven or that you can work your way to heaven. Saying if your good deeds out weigh your bad deeds you will get to heaven. Christians do not believe that.
We Christians believe that you get to heaven by the grace of God. The apostle Paul stating,
“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.
That gift we believe is Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul telling us,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
God through the sacrificial death of Christ Jesus offered us eternal life with Him in heaven.
Jesus speaking of himself is quoted by the apostle John as saying,
“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 apostle John also noting the reward for believing in Christ Jesus. Stating,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
Is all of this difficult to believe? In a word yes. Even the apostle Paul wrote,
“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.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.
And, it is exactly this that each individual when presented with the message of Jesus Christ must decide for themselves.
Is the message of Christ Jesus foolishness or is it the truth that leads to eternal life with God?
It is a decision only you can make. It is potentially the most important decision you will make in your life.
C. S. Lewis said,
“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 choice is yours.
Please think about it.

The way it's preached

The way it’s preached
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.” John 3:16,17.
Here are perhaps the two best known bible verses, yet many Christian do not understand what is being said.
Jesus states,
“God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son”
Then Jesus notes
“God did not sent his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Sadly many calling themselves Christians here in North America where I live miss this last point. That Jesus came to save the world not condemn it.
Too many people calling themselves Christians heap judgement on the people they are speaking to.
Billy Graham the late American Evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love,”

                            Billy Graham.

We as believers in Christ Jesus are called to love the world. To, in love, point the world to the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus not to judge people in any way.
Another evangelist Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“We are not responsible to God for the soul that are saved, but we are responsible for the Gospel that is preached, and for the way in which we preach it” Charles H. Spurgeon.
You will not win a soul for Christ if you are judging an individuals actions, their faith, or their lifestyle.
You can only win a soul by following the example of Jesus. By showing unconditional Love.
Please think about it.  

If He never wept

If He never wept
The gospel of John records,
“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.
John referring to Jesus as “The Word” makes it clear that, Jesus made all things. Jesus is God. The creator of the universe.
This is a fundamental Christian belief.
John also points out,
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
That God in the form of Jesus entered the world he created.
This to is a fundamental Christian belief. Which is to non-Christians perhaps one of the most perplexing beliefs Christians have.
Many would ask why would God enter the world He created? After all God is all knowing and all powerful why would he need to enter the world?
I think the answer is simple. To be completely fair to man.
Any Christian will tell you that Jesus came into the world to save the world. To point man to God. To pay the price of man’s sins.
That being said the late evangelist Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“A Jesus who never wept could never wipe away my tears.”Charles H. Spurgeon.
Through Jesus God experienced all there was to be human. Everything from the mundane day to day things like the smell of dust, to the rain falling, to the feeling of the sun beating down on a hot day. To having friends, to the death of a friend, to having enemies, to being flogged and put to death innocently. Jesus run the complete gamut of what it was to be human.
Thus he knows what you are going through and the call of Jesus to each and every individual is,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Question, Are you weary and burdened?
Why not consider looking to Jesus. Take time to read the New Testament and see for yourself what those early believers in Jesus had to say about him.
Please think about it.

You Are

You Are
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.
The great evangelist Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“The Bible is not the light of the world, it is the light of the Church. But the world does not read the Bible, the world reads Christians! “You are the light of the world.”’Charles H. Spurgeon
Spurgeon is absolutely right. If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus the world will see Him through the lense of your life.
The apostle Peter tells believers in Christ,

“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 noted,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                   Francis of Assisi.

Thus if you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus, the question becomes.
What is your sermon telling the world around you?
Please think about it.

More than the watchman

More than the watchman
Jesus speaking to a Samaritan woman said,
“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 4:23-24.
Do you worship God in spirit and in truth?
Do you take time to worship God daily?
Why do you go to church?
It’s easy to go to church sit down enjoy the music and the sermon. To socialize with friends. But if all you go to church for is to “enjoy” the music and sermon, and to socialize with friends that is entertainment.
As believers in Christ Jesus we are called to worship God in “spirit and in truth”.
Being a believer in Christ Jesus is a lifestyle that incorporates worshipping God daily. It is a longing in our heart to serve God wherever we may be. Be it in our home, at work, in our neighbourhood or at church.
The Psalmist writes,

“I wait for the LORD, 

My soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. 

My soul waits for the Lord

 more than the watchmen wait for morning, 

more than the watchmen wait for morning” 

                                                       Psalm 130:5,6.

If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus do you wait for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for morning?
Please think about it.

Christians Consider this

Christians Consider this.
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.

Think of it this way,

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

If you are 

speaking out and trying to restrict the rights of others 

given to them by the lawfully elected government.

You are telling others 

they can try to restrict your rights.

If you are 

imposing your morals however good they may be on others.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, 

even if they are not as good as yours.

If you are 

trying to impose your faith on others rather than presenting your faith.

You are telling others 

they can impose their faith on you.

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

I think it is important for all those who believe in Christ Jesus, to understand what Jesus said in Matthew 7:12.
We will in our walk through this life come across many people we disagree with. It is however not our right to judge them. We must treat them they same way we expect to be treated with unconditional love and understanding.
Jesus speaking of 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” John 3:16,17.
As Christians we must always remember this. As Billy Graham the great American evangelist 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.

Just as the Father Commanded

Just as the Father Commanded
The Apostle John writes,
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.  
And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.  
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:4-6.
Over and over again the apostle John emphasizes that believers in Christ must love. Love must be the motivating force behind all believers in Christ. As I have quoted in previous blogs 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.
  What Jesus is saying here echos the words spoke in Deuteronomy that states,
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7
If you truly love God then you will love all whom He loves. That means everyone. Jesus speaking of 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” John 3:16,17
It is our duty as believers in Christ to show God’s unconditional love to others. The apostle John emphasizes this over and over again.
It is only by showing the love of God to those around us that we can truly win the world for Christ.
Francis of Assisi penned a wonderful prayer that illustrates this. He wrote,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

                                                                    Francis of Assisi

If you consider yourself a believer in Christ, ask yourself does this prayer reflect my life?
Please think about it.