At Peace with Others

At Peace with others
The apostle Paul writes,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”Romans 12:18.
Question, do you? If you claim to be a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus, are you doing your best to live at peace with everyone?
If you are not. You should be. It’s not only the apostle Paul that tells us to live at peace with everyone. In the book of Hebrews we read,
“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.
Notice the writer of Hebrews tells us to not only make every effort to live in peace with all men, but to do our best to be holy.
If you claim to be a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus you should be exhibiting the fruits of the spirit. The apostle Paul telling us,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal 5:22,23.
Are these truly the fruits you exhibit in your life to those around you?
Please think about it.

You Live in Deeds

You live in deeds
Jesus said,
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven Matthew 5:13-16.
Notice here Jesus says, “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”.
As Christians, believers in Christ Jesus, we are called to love in word and deed. For it is only by showing love, in deed as well as in our words, not only toward our friends and neighbours but even to our enemy and our persecutors, that we can be effective witnesses for Christ Jesus.
The world is watching anyone who claims to be a Christian. And, the world quite often does not hear our words. They do however see our deeds.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

"The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today"

                                    Francis of Assisi

Thus my question to you is, What sermon is your deeds preaching?
Please think about it.

The Kind of Love God Expects

The kind of Love God expects
The apostle Paul wrote,
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
“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 13:1-8a,13.
This to me is true love. The kind of love God expects all believers to exhibit in their lives to all with whom they come in contact .
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
Jesus also said,
“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, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  
 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”  Matthew 5:43-47.
Thus my question to you especially if you claim to be a Christian, is this the kind of Love you exhibit each and every day?
Will God say you have shown true love to all you have had contact with?
Please think about it.

The Greatest Adventure

The greatest adventure
Jesus said,
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:9,10.
Raphael Simon wrote,
“To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek him, the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” Raphael Simon.
I firmly believe that if you are truly serious about finding God He will reveal himself to you. The key is you need to be truly searching for God. You need to have faith that God exists, The writer of the book of Hebrews states,

“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

Thus my questions,
Do you have faith that God exists? If so are you truly seeking God?
Please think about it.

Narrow is the Road

Narrow is the road
John’s gospel records Jesus as saying,
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6.
I’ve heard many non-Christians say there are many ways to heaven. The question I would ask is, are there?
What if as Christians believe there is only one way to heaven, that being through Jesus?
Jesus said,
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13,14.
It to my way of thinking is logical that God would make a single road to heaven. A road that I believe is through Jesus Christ.
The way I see it is if I and other Christians like me are wrong then we have nothing to fear by following the teachings of Jesus, because in doing so we will have lived a good 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.
I believe it is of infinite importance.
What do you think?
Please think about it.

Over and Above

Over and above
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

The Bible is written to believers. It therefor does not debate the existence of God. Believers know that God exists. Believers also recognize that there is a need for God within our society.
Abba Hillel Silver at the height of world war two wrote,
"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.
History has shown us that when people turn from the basic principles God has laid down for mankind society suffers. We only have to look at world war two to see this. Hitler and his henchmen had no fear of God. They turned away from God and lived by their own rules. The result was world war two, the worst conflict in human history with upwards of 60,000,000 men, women, and children killed senselessly.
The same thing is happening today. There are many terrorist groups around the world that are murdering people. Some even having the audacity to say they are doing it in the name of God.
That being said it is not only terrorist groups doing the killing. On the streets of our cities there are men and women murdering others daily.
The murdering aside. There are many more things happening that are against God’s laws.
The apostle Paul wrote,
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 
"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—”2 Timothy 3:1-4.
This is happening today and our society knows it. And society is looking for solutions to it’s problems. I firmly believe that turning back to the God of the Bible. Turning back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles is the solution to much of mankind’s problems.
Please think about it.

Look Deep

Look Deep
Albert Einstein one of the greatest scientist ever to live made an interesting statement. He said,

“Look deep into nature, 

and then you will understand everything better.”

                                                                 Albert Einstein

The psalmist writing several millenniums  before Einstein’s birth wrote,

“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.

I have always been of the opinion that science done correctly will show there is a creator behind it all. And science seems to be heading in that direction.
Scientist are looking into nature. They are seeing that everything from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles have all come together to allow life as we know it here on earth to exist.
To me that speaks of a creator.
Einstein noted,

“Human beings vegetables  or cosmic dust. 

We all dance to a mysterious tune, 

intoned in the distance by an invisible player.”

                                                              Albert Einstein.

I don’t know whether or not Einstein believed in God. I do know that his statement about we all being cosmic dust, dancing to a tune played an invisible player is true.
The Bible tells me,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

                                                                                            Genesis 1:1.

In other words God created the very cosmic dust that makes up the Earth the Universe and Everything in it.
God is that “invisible player” Einstein spoke of.
Mankind is God’s creation. That being said God in making mankind did not make robots. He made individuals with a freewill to do as they wish.
That includes the right to believe in God or not to believe in Him. I and billions of people like me believe God exists.
I believe in God not out of blind faith. I believe in God because of what I see around me. I have looked at what the Bible says and what science says and find no contradiction. Both point to a creator.
The choice however is up to you. Each individual must decide what they believe and ultimately live with the consequence of their decision.
Please think about it. 

If True

If true

“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.
One of the claims of Christianity is that Jesus is God. That he was there on the day of creation. That “through him all thing were made;”. Not only that Christians believe God in the form of his One and Only Son Jesus, came to this earth to show us the way to heaven. But not in the way we would think.
Being God he could have revealed Himself in a miraculous way. Yet he did not. He came to this earth in such away that it would require faith to believe He was who He said He was.
Jesus came into this world live as a man. Experienced everything there was to experience as a man then let himself be put to death on a cross for a crime he didn’t commit. Not what the average person would expect of God.
The apostle Paul admits,
"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.
It is a message believers in Christ Jesus ask people to believe. It is a message many cannot bring themselves believe. Yet it is a message Christians believe is of prime importance for people all over the world to believe.
C. S. Lewis noted,
“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 for anyone who hears the story of Jesus is, Do you believe Jesus is God incarnate, Saviour of mankind, or not?
The choice is your’s please think about it.

Be Still

Be still

“Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth.” 

                                                Psalm 46:10

C. S. Lewis wrote,
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
I think there are two primary reasons people cannot find God. One they are simply not looking for Him. The other is they have made up their mind and are not willing to listen anything that might give insight into God’s existence.
As someone I think wisely said,

Maybe the atheist cannot find God 

for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman. 

                                                               Author Unknown

We especially here in the western democracies live in a society that is filled with a cacophony of noise and distractions. Distractions that quite often distract us from seeing God.
In order to find God we must be looking for Him. We must have faith that He exists. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“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.
In order to seek God we must be still. We must take time from our busy life sit down and simply ask, Dear Lord please show yourself to me.
The question I would ask you the reader is are you willing to be still and to ask God to show Himself to you?
Please think about it.

Christians and Judgment

Christians and Judgement
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.
This makes it clear to anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ Jesus. We are not allowed to judge. I believe this to be especially true when it comes to where anyone will spend eternity.
The apostle Paul makes it clear that Christians have the right to Judge other Christians but only with respect to what they are teaching. Paul states,
“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.
We can judge those who claim to be Christians because by the fact they are claiming to be Christians they are saying I believe the teachings of the Jesus and the Apostles. If they don’t we are to cast them out of the church.
As for those who are not Christians we have no right to judge them at all. Only God has that right, because only God knows what is in the heart of an individual.
Only God knows why a person is the way they are.
The job of a follower of Christ Jesus is made clear when Jesus 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 are to make disciples of all nations. At no time does Jesus ever tell his followers to judge anyone. No should we.
We will never win souls for Christ by judging and criticising them. It is only through love and developing a dialogue between ourselves and those around us, that we will win souls for Christ.
Thus my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus. Do you judge others, intentionally or otherwise?
Please think about it. 

No excuses

No excuses
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.

I am a Christian a believer in Christ Jesus. I make no excuses for what I believe. When I get the opportunity to present my faith. I do just that. I present what I believe and leave it for the listener to agree or disagree with me.
I know on that day when this life is over I will bow before God and thank Him for His wonderful love. Until that day however I will praise and glorify God’s name here on Earth.
Thus my question to you the reader;
Do you believe in God?
If not why not?
If you do why?
Please think about it.

A Matter of Faith

A matter of Faith.
The Psalmist writes,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

                                                       Psalm 19:1.

We may not be able to see God but that does not mean he does not exist. Astronomers have for a long time theorised that black holes exist yet they could not see them. They realized that black holes existed because of what they observed.
So it is with God. We only have to look around us to realize that this world, this universe we live in has to have a creator.
As I have said many times in my blogs over the years I cannot believe that the universe in which we live just formed from randomness. There has to be a creator behind it all.
We live in a part of the universe that has been called the “goldilocks zone”. An area of the universe that is just right for life as we know it to exist.
Whether there are more of these zones within our universe is irrelevant  to my belief in God.
The key to my believing in God is my faith.
Just like Albert Einstein and many other scientist went to the grave believing in their theories. So it is with believers in Christ Jesus.
Believers in Christ Jesus are willing to go to their graves believing they will meet God after they pass from this world.
Thus my question to you is do you believe in God?
The writer of the book of Hebrews states,

“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.” 

                                                                            Heb