Food for Thought

Food for thought
The Psalmist writes,

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, 

and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

 his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

                                                                         Psalm 100.

Here the Psalmist tells us
1/ to “Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth.”
2/ to “Know that the LORD is God”
3/ to know “It is He who made us,”
4/ that “we are His people”

We are called by the Psalmist to,
1/ to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise”
2/ to “give thanks to Him and Praise His name”

We are told by the Psalmist,
1/ “The LORD is good”
2/ “His love endures forever”
3/ “His faithfulness continues through all generations”

Do you believe this?
If you do, do you praise God?
Do you give thanks to God?

If you don’t believe this why?

Please think about it.

Guard against

Guard against
Jesus said,
"...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15
How important are your possessions? Many people strive to be rich. They spend their whole lives working long hours. Many even bring work home with them. Their family and friends take second place. They work so much that they don’t enjoy life.
Jesus said,
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Matthew 8:36.
Like I have said in previous blogs there is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s what priority you put on it.
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
The love of money can change people. Some people never have enough. They toil long hours to try and get enough yet their desire is never filled.
Sadly their lust for riches can pull them from their faith.
Jesus said,
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...." Matthew 6:19-21.
Thus my question to you the reader.
Where is your treasure?
Please think about it.

Weep and Wail

Weep and wail
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  
You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.” James 5:1-6.
Now there is nothing wrong with being rich and powerful. It is what you do with the wealth and power that you will be held accountable for.
James here makes a very clear point to the wealthy that if they misuse their wealth and power in this life “misery” is coming upon them.
There are many wealthy and powerful people in this world who are doing good. Sadly however there are many with wealth and power who are doing just the opposite. This is who James is warning.
In my previous blog I quoted Jesus telling this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31.
Thus my question to anyone in authority in particular. How will God judge you? Will you be weeping and wailing or will you be rejoicing?
Where will you spend eternity?
Please think about it.

Before God

Before God
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13.
There is a quote from the Talmud I can see as happening. 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
Jesus told this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31.
We all rich and poor will stand before God and be judged. You might get away doing wrong in this life but you will not when you stand before God.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”Tony Campolo.
Thus my question to you.
Will you be happy when you stand before God?
Please think about it.

God, Love, & Heaven

God, Love, & Heaven

"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

The above scripture defines God’s love and the fact is God loves us. In sending Jesus Christ into the world to die for our sins God proved that. 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.
I’ve heard it said that the way we get to heaven is if your good deeds out weigh your bad deeds you get into heaven.
Christians do not believe this. We do not believe you can live a life good enough to enter heaven. C. S. Lewis said,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  C.S. Lewis.
The day Jesus was crucified we see what is necessary to get to heaven. Luke’s gospel records,
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 
But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.
The thief that got into Paradise (Heaven) confessed his belief that Jesus was who he said he was. Then he confessed to Jesus that he was a sinner.
Christians believe getting into heaven requires two things. One, an act of faith, the writer of Hebrews telling 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
The other is confession of our sins to God. The apostle John writes,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10.
This in a nutshell is what Christians believe. The question thus becomes do you believe this?
Please think about it.

Praise Him

Praise Him
The Psalmist writes,

Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

 praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

 praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD. 

                            Psalm 150.

In my early days as a believer in Christ Jesus I was part of a praise group. We weren’t very well known but we were good. Good enough to be invited to various churches and other Christian events.
Our repertoire included all of what was in Psalm 150, including dance. At the time in the mid seventies dance in some churches was taboo. Still once people seen what we did they liked it. They seen that our dance moves complimented the music and brought glory to God.
We encouraged people to not only praise God with their voice and with their instruments but with dance. You don’t need anything choreographed just let your spirit flow with the music.
From a purely practical prospective dance can’t hurt. It gives one exercise. Adding praise to God helps your spirit rise.
Praise to God with our without dance can take an ordinary day or even a bad day and make things feel better.
Why not try it. Put on some praise music and in the comfort of your own home praise God.
Please think about it.

You can't have two masters

You can’t have two masters
Jesus said,
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:19-21,24.
Are you trying to serve two masters, God and material possessions?
Now let we make things clear. Having a lot of money and possessions is not sinful it is what you do with them that is sinful 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.
Here in North America we are blessed with freedom to do as we wish. This freedom makes North America a good place to live. Freedom however has its pitfalls when it comes to a persons faith.
It is very easy to get, for lack of a better term “hooked of the American dream” the acquisition of wealth and material things.
Every day we are surrounded by the media and elsewhere telling us that we need the latest gadget. The media tells us that if we just get the latest “thing” our lives will be better. As a result people work long hours to get these “things” and are pulled away from their faith.
As the apostle Paul said,
“...Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
As a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus. You must decide who you will serve and the ramifications of your decision.
Please think about it.

How will you be Judged?

How will you be judged?
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.
Here Jesus makes it simple for those who believe in Him. We are not to judge others period.
If we judge others we give them the right to judge us. And it has been my experience that they will. They will judge us with the same measure we judge them.
The psalmist speaking of God states,
"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.
God because he is who he is knows why we are the way we are has the right to judge us. We do not. For that reason we do not have the right to judge others. That is especially true when it comes to a persons relationship with God and where an individual will spend eternity.
So my question to you if you consider yourself a Christian a follower of Christ Jesus is, how will you be judged both by God and those around you?
Please think about it.

How would you vote?

How would you vote?
“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.
Every now and then I like to poke Christians and others with a pointy stick this is one of those days. Thus I present to you the story of Margaret Elizabeth.
“That morning, Margaret Elizabeth got up extra early, readying herself for the day.  She would get only one chance to make an impression.  To that end, she applied her makeup with extra care.  Chose the black ankle length wraparound skirt, white turtle neck top and black jacket, her children had given her as a gift, while in hospital.  She limited her jewelry to a simple pair of diamond studied earrings, that had been her grandmother’s and small bracelet given to her by her daughter-in-law.
Leaving that office, to walk to the pulpit was the hardest step, she ever had to make.  Her heart pounded and by the time, she stood behind the pulpit she was visibly shaking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Margaret Elizabeth Williamson and just before Christmas, I underwent Sexual Reassignment Surgery.” she said relief surging through her body, as silence engulfed the assembly.  
I know that many of you, maybe uncomfortable with that.  That is why I have asked to speak to you, to give you my testimony and then allow you to ask questions.
I have felt like a woman trapped in a man’s body for my entire life.  I was married for over thirty years to a wonderful and accepting woman, who died several years prior to my coming to this assembly.  I have a wonderful family, all of whom support me and are here today.
Believe me, I did not choose this course of action lightly.  I did so after much personal anguish and a great deal of prayer.
For a little over two years prior to my complete transition, I have lived my life as a woman: I was doing so when I came to this church and I think I did it well enough that no one knew.  If so they did not commented.
I have no apologies to give for what I did, or who I am, because I do not believe I did anything wrong.
I accepted Jesus as my Saviour over thirty-five years ago, and asked Him to remove from me what at times, has been a difficult burden.  He has chosen not to and thus, I have accepted that I am what I am.  A child of God, who knew me according to the Psalms in my mother’s womb.
I have no intentions of preaching a sermon here today, only to ask you to accept me as I am.  In fact, the only reason I stand before you today, is because I was asked to come onto the staff of this church and wish to be completely honest with you.
Now, I will open the door to all questions and endeavor to answer them to the best of my ability.  Nothing is off limits. After the questions, pastor will ask for a vote and abide by your decision.”
There were many questions. Finally however, the question answered, the pastor came to the front.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time to take a vote.”  He said.  “If you wish Margaret Elizabeth to become a part of our pastoral staff, please rise to your feet.”
Thus my question to you the reader. How would you vote?
Please think carefully and prayerfully about it.

Can

Can
John’s gospel records this conversation between Jesus and 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?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
The other day I was asked if I believe a gay man can get to heaven. I answered with the words of the American evangelist Toni Campolo who 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
Jesus speaking 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.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.  Romans 10: 9,10.
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
Only God knows why we are the way we are. No one can truly tell what is in the heart and mind of another person. No one knows an individual as well as God does. Thus we have no right to Judge other people when it comes to where they will spend eternity.
Jesus told his disciple and through them us,
“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.
He did not tell those who believe in him to judge people with respect to where they will spend eternity. He told them to go out and show the world how they can spend eternity in heaven.
Please think about it.

Your Faith?

Your faith?
Jesus Said,
“Many will say to me  on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:22,23.
I firmly believe many calling themselves Christians, particularly here in North America where I live will have a shock when they stand before God because they will hear the words of Jesus as spoken in Matthew 7:22,23. I strongly believe this will also be true of many pastors and evangelist.
They will be like the rich young man that Matthew’s gospel talks about.
“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 neighbour 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.
Now there is nothing wrong with being rich. That being said you must not put your wealth ahead of God. You must be willing to let God supply all your needs. By allowing God to supply all your needs you are acting in faith. If you are not. You need to question your commitment to God.
Many claiming to be Christian have “followed the formula”.
They have said the Sinners Prayer,
They go to Church,
They Read their Bible,
They are active in their church,
Some even preach and evangelize,
But they are not Christians,
The Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill said,
“The sinners prayer has sent more people to hell than all the bars in America.” Leonard Ravenhill.
Saying the sinners prayer, reading the Bible, going to and being active in the church, even preaching and evangelizing means nothing if you don’t truly believe in Christ. The apostle Paul makes it clear,
“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.  Romans 10: 9,10.
Sadly many today particularly in North America where I live, have an intellectual knowledge of the Bible. They know what it says. Yet they don’t truly have faith.
Like the rich man that came to Jesus they follow bible precepts yet lack complete faith in God.
So the question becomes do you have complete faith in God?
Please think about it.

Four more Questions

Four more questions?
The apostle Paul writing to Timothy states,
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  
This is good, and pleases God our Saviour,  who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  1Timothy 2:1-4.
Do you pray for everyone, not only those around you but kings and those in authority?
As I write this there is a highly charged political environment in the United States. Sadly many Christians are taking sides in the political arena, mixing their faith with politics. This should not be so. None of the apostles ever mixed politics and their faith. Nor should we.
Jesus, and the apostles lived in a multicultural world similar in some ways to our own here in the democracies of the west today. The difference being they did not live in a democracy. Thus they had no say in who would govern them.
So when the apostle Paul tells Timothy to pray for kings and those in authority he is asking Timothy to pray that those governing will basically leave Christians alone. That Christians may live quiet lives.
Living in peace with those around you is the best way to spread the gospel message. Christians I believe here particularly in the United States and Canada seem to have forgotten this.
Christians it seems in the United States and to a lesser degree in Canada are known for being aggressive against anything they disagree with. Sadly among some in our society Christians are seen as uncaring bigots. This certainly is not what God wants.
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
If you claim to be a Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus. Ask yourself these questions,
1/ Am I praying correctly for those in authority?
2/ Am I praying that the governing authorities will let us live in peace?
3/ Am I abstaining from “sinful desires”?
4/ Am I living a good life. A life God would truly be proud of?
Please think about it.