Live at Peace

Live at peace,

"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.

Here is a story for anyone who calls themselves a Christian to think about. It’s called the Eleven o Clock prayer.
It's eleven o clock. Inside the court house a judge is about to make his ruling. A community, a nation, waits. 
Will the new law be legal? 
Outside the court house men and women with placards chant. 
On one side of the street stand a group of gay men and women. All in favour of the new law.
On the other side of the street separated by a line of police stand radical evangelicals, denouncing the new law.
One man among them screams angrily . "HOMOSEXUALS ARE GOING TO HELL!!!"
Approached by the media he says it again, "homosexuals are going to Hell." 
From my office window I watch asking myself the question, ‘is this man an Christian?"
Wasn't it Christ who told us not only to love our neighbour but our enemy also?
Wasn't it Christ who told us not to judge, lest we be judged likewise?
Wasn't it Christ who said go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation?
Is this man showing love?
Is this man judging another? 
Can this man be effective in reaching the whole world for Christ, of which a percentage are homosexual?
Is this man even a Christian?
Two questions keeps rolling through my mind for which I know the answer, "Can we truly know what is in someone else's head?
Do we really know why a person is like they are?"
For a moment I stare down at the crowd. All the time asking myself who is on the way to Hell this day, and how can I reach them for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
Turning away from my window I kneel down and pray, "Lord guide me give me wisdom this day. Let me make the right decision on this law."
It is the duty of anyone who claims to be a true follower of Christ Jesus to live at peace with all who are around them. Even if we disagree with their faith or lifestyle.
It is a believer in Christ Jesus’ obligation to obey the words of Jesus who 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.
The only way we can do this is if we live at peace with all men whether or not we agree with them or not. We have an obligation to obey the words of Jesus who 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.
And we as Christians would not want people judging us or protesting our lifestyle would we?
Please think about it.

How much?

How much?
Joshua 24:14,15
"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.
But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24: 14,15.
Who do you serve? There are many who go to church especially here in North America where I live that believe there is a God but are not serving Him.
I was once told to consider this incident in Jesus’ life as recorded in Matthew’s gospel,
"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,  honour 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.
This man valued his wealth over God.
The evidence of a true believer in anything but especially when it comes to God is in what they are willing to give up for their beliefs. Wealth, family, friends, even their lives.
Thus my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian, how much do you love God. Are you willing to give up everything for Him?
Please think about it.

Is God

Is God
The Psalmist writes of God,

"You are my refuge and my shield; 

I have put my hope in your word." 

                                                       Psalm 119:114

Can you make that claim? Do you truly put your trust in God at all times? Sadly many people only turn to God when they are in need of help.
Mike W. Blottenberger in his poem A midnight Conversation with God asks the question,

God, why is it

that the only time

I swim back to You

is when the sharks

are about to eat me?

I could harbour my soul

in your crystal, clear waters

but instead

I allow the undertow

to carry me far from You

and out into

the black, salty waters

where danger lurks

with each crashing wave

and where my feet

never touch the bottom.

                                        Mike W. Blottenberger

Blottenberger doesn’t answer the question. That being said it is a question many people must answer.
Why is it only in bad times that we draw close to God? The only conclusion I can come to is those who turn to God only in bad times is that they believe in God but do not fully trust in Him. They have not made God an integral part of their life.
Many years ago when I asked Christ into my life. I was told being a Christian is not just going to church on Sunday or attending other Christian events.
Being a Christian is a lifestyle. As Christians our lives must reflect that of Jesus.
The apostle Peter writes,
"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. 
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. 
If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. A believer in God. Is God an integral part of your life?
Please think about it.

No God?

No God?
The Psalmist writes,

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

                                                                  Psalm 14:1.

Billy Graham the American evangelist said,

I can't prove it scientifically, that there's a God, but I believe.

                                                                                  Billy Graham.

That being said 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.

Scientist tell us that our planet is in the perfect position in not only the solar system but in the galaxy to have life exist as we know it. A few more kilometres closer or further away from the sun and life would not exist.
Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics writes,
"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan." Dr, Arno Penzias.
Another Nobel prize winner in Physics William Philips, writes,
“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it"William Philips
Yet another Nobel prize winner in Physics, Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics writes,

The first gulp from the glass of natural science will make you an atheist,

but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you" 

                                                                        Werner Heisenberg

Even Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds to ever live noted,

“The universe and the laws of physics 

seem to have been specifically designed for us" 

                                                                    Stephen Hawking.

On this side of eternity we may never be able to see God physically but we can see His handiwork throughout all creation.
Just because you can’t see things doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Many scientist had theories they believed in all their lives that weren’t proved correct until after their death. So it is with God. God wants all who believe in him to believe by faith. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

“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 question to you; do you believe in God?
Please think about it.

Something to think about

Something to think about.
In the book of Proverbs we read

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, 

and He examines all his paths."  

                                                    Proverbs 5:21

We are living in unprecedented time. A world wide pandemic has engulfed the world the likes of which we who are living have never seen before.
In times like these we see average people as well as political and religious leaders at their best and sadly at their worst. We see who has true compassion for their fellow man.
In the Jewish Talmud we read,
“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.” The Talmud.
I like that last phrase,
“God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
In this time of crisis all mankind not just Christians are called on to show love to those around them.
Our political and religious leaders especially have a duty to those around them to do their personal best to show love by helping all those in need of all faiths.
Within Christianity the apostle Paul defines love this way,

"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.

This definition of love is not just a Christian definition it is a definition of love every person on the face of the earth can agree with.
That being said I agree with the writer of Ecclesiastes when he writes,
"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.
And make no mistake everyone will one day give an account of their actions in this life to God be they Christians or not. And I believe one of the things God will judge them on is whether or not they have loved their fellow man.
Please think about it.

My God in whom I trust

My God in whom I trust.

The Psalmist writes,

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

 will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the LORD, 

"He is my refuge and my fortress, 

my God, in whom I trust." 

                                                Psalm 91 1,2.

As a believer in Christ Jesus for over forty years. I have no doubt about who I trust. I trust in God to lead me through even the worst of times. I believe what the psalmist states, “He is my refuge and my fortress...”
In my life I have gone through many things, triumphs and tragedies and through it all God has been with me. I truly believe the psalmist when he writes,

 “The LORD is my shepherd, 

I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

 and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

                                                                                     Psalm 23.

Thus my question to you; who is your God and can you trust him to be your shepherd through even the darkest periods of your life?
Please think about it.

Love and Faithfulness

Love and Faithfulness
In Proverbs we read,

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; 

bind them around your neck,

 write them on the tablet of your heart. 

Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” 

                                                                                                 Proverbs 3:3,4

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you” the writer of proverbs tells us. Love and faithfulness are the corner stones of Christian belief. You cannot be a Christian and not love family, friend, and foe alike unconditionally. You cannot be a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus and not have complete faith in God.
As Christians our faith should spur us on to Love as Jesus did unconditionally. Jesus went so far as to die for us on the cross. And while we may never be asked to die for someone in order to show our love for them we must still love those around us unconditionally.
I think one of the most famous prayers ever written, written by Francis of Assisi is one we all need to consider praying in sincerity. Francis writes,

"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 Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus...
Please think about it.

Many will say, Many are not.

Many will say, Many are not.
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.
The other day I found a couple of interesting quotes. One from Lenny Bruce said,

“Every day people are straying away from the church

 and going back to God. Really.” 

                                      Lenny Bruce, "Religions Inc."

The other is from an unknown author it states,

I believe in God; I just don't trust anyone who works for him.”

                                                                               Author Unknown

Sadly here where I live in North America this is true. What passes for the face of Christianity particularly in the media is not that of true Christianity. Many who profess to be Christian pastors, evangelist and teachers are not. They are nothing more than charlatans quite often trying to separate people from their money.
The apostle Paul warned about these people when he wrote,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.
The apostle Peter states,
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”2 Peter 2:1-3.
God will eventually judge these people, as I quoted above 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 think for anyone who is not a Christian the way to tell a true Christian a true believer in Christ Jesus is to look at their life. Look to see if what the apostle Paul called the “fruits of the spirit” are active in their life. The fruits of the spirit being,
“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.” Galatians 5:22,23.
For those reading this who claim to be Christians, followers of Christ Jesus, I would ask; Are you truly exhibiting the fruits of the spirit in your life?
Please think about it.

A Crown of Righteousness

A Crown of Righteousness.
The Psalmist writes,

"Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD 

who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. 

May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion." 

                                                                                                Psalm 134:1-3.

Here is a call to all who believe in God to praise Him. To all who call themselves servants of The Lord lift up their hands and praise God.
I know these are hard times we are going through world wide. The pandemic has killed thousands and changed out lives possibly for ever. Still I feel we who love God should continue to praise Him. Knowing that He will bring us through all of this.
When I think of what we are going through I think of Job who lost everything yet Job could say,

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;...” 

                                                               Job 13:15a.

At the same time we can look at Jesus and his disciples all but one suffered a martyrs death. The apostle Paul suffered various hardships that eventually ended with his martyrdom at the hands of the emperor Nero. Yet through it all they trusted in God. Writing to Timothy Paul said,
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
Irrespective of what happens to us be it in good times or in bad times those who truly love the Lord can be assured that there is a crown of righteousness awaiting them.
Are you one of those people?
Please think about it.

My Help

My Help

The psalmist writes,

“I lift up my eyes to the hills— 

where does my help come from? 

My help comes from the LORD, 

the Maker of heaven and earth.”

                                            Psalm 121:1,2.

Someone a long time ago told me that hard times, bad times, will either push someone toward God or away from Him.
Keeping ones faith in God in bad times shows who truly loves God.
Thus my question to you the reader. If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus, do you truly trust God?
Please think about it.

What is Life?

What is life?
In the book of Ecclesiastes states,

“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun;

 all of them are meaningless,

 a chasing after the wind.”

                                             Ecclesiastes 1:14

The poet writes,

What is a Man?

A woman?

Life?

Are they but an wisps in the eternal aether?

A momentary mist in time?

What is your life?

Your life, or mine?

What of the life of a man?

Of a woman?

What is the sum total of ones 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 it life is eternal.

I believe you have a choice.

The 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.

That's what I believe.

Please think about it.

Where do you stand?

Where do you stand?
The writer of Ecclesiastes writes,

“Whoever loves money never has enough;

 whoever loves wealth 

is never satisfied with their income 

this too is meaningless.” 

                                             Ecclesiastes 5:10.

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

Now there is nothing wrong with having a lot of money. The problem arises when you put the wrong emphasis on money. When you love it. As the writer of Ecclesiastes states,

“Whoever loves money never has enough”

The apostle Paul telling us,

“Some people, eager for money have wandered from their faith

and pierced themselves with many griefs”

Money can buy you nice things in this world. Enough money can buy you anything material thing your heart desires. Money however cannot buy you true peace of mind or a place in heaven.
Jesus told this parable,
"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  
He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 
"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  
And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 
"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:15-21.
Matthew’s gospel records Jesus saying something we should all consider. Jesus said,

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, 

yet forfeit his soul?” 

                            Matthew 8:36.

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.  
     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
So where do you stand?
Are you certain of where you will spend eternity?
Please think about it.