If you seek

If you seek
In the book of Deuteronomy we read,
"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."  Deuteronomy 4:29.
Someone once said,
“Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.” Author Unknown.
The truth is you must be looking for someone in order to find them. Which is why I think many Atheist cannot find God. They may say they are looking but they already have their minds made up.
I have met many who say they are looking for God, when all they are doing is looking for evidence that what they believe is right.
Finding God is an act of faith. The book of Hebrews tells us,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1.
That being said God does not want us to have blind faith in Him. But rather informed faith. The psalmist states,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day naive 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 

If we look into Science correctly we will see the handiwork of God.
One of the most brilliant minds of our time Stephen Hawking said,
“It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us,” Stephen Hawking.
I like what William Philips a Nobel prize winner in Physics said,
“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it”William Philips.
Werner Heisenberg the father of Quantum Mechanics and Nobel Prize winner in Physics said,
“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.
I think in order to find God we have to keep looking. Both Philips and Heisenberg are well educated scientist who believe in God because of their work in science.
I think to say simply because I cannot see, hear or touch God in a tangible way is naive. Something that has eternal consequences.
Please think about it. 

A Moral Code

A Moral Code
In the book of Deuteronomy we read,

“Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

with all your soul, and with all your strength.

                                                          Deuteronomy 6:4,5

Abba Hillel Silver writes,
"Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority." Abba Hillel Silver.
I think it can safely be said that no atheist group has ever come up with a moral code anywhere equivalent to that of the Bible. 
Within the Bible we have a moral code that instructs mankind how to live with ones fellow man and with God.
It lays down everything from a six day work week. Exodus recording,
"Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. Exodus20:9,10
To providing food for the poor. Leviticus 19: 9,10 stating,
"‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19: 9,10.
To Jesus telling us,
"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.
 Without the moral code laid down in the Bible, mankind would fall into the abyss of anarchy or worse extinction, with survival of the fittest or most violent, ruling.
History shows us that when the truths of the Bible are ignored society declines. We just have to look at what happened to those people the Nazis conquered and ruled during world war two. Close to sixty million men, women and Children dying needlessly at the hands of a despotic ruler. Who ruled using his own moral code.
The bottom line is man needs an absolute moral code without it society will fail. Frankly it is beyond my comprehension that somewhere along the line in ancient history a group of men and women sat down and agreed on a universal moral code.
I firmly believe that God has placed in the hearts and minds of everyone who is living or has ever lived His moral code. Each person knows instinctively what is right or wrong and has the choice of which way to go.
I also believe ultimately that God will hold us all to account for our actions. The writer of Ecclesiastes telling us,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
Please think about it.

The Duty of the Church

The duty of the Church
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.
This is the duty of the Church.
Lately with this pandemic in full flight there has been a lot of speculation about the coming of Christ in Christian circles. The same thing happened among Christians at the outbreak of world war two with the rise of Hitler. Many thought Hitler the anti-christ.
That being said, it is not the duty of the church to speculate on when Christ will return. The duty of the church is to make disciples of all nations and to teach them all to obey all that Jesus taught.
Thus believers in Christ Jesus should be working to win souls for Christ as if He is coming before the end of the day. AND! We should be doing this each and every day until Christ does return.
Please think about it.

Lunatic, Devil, or Son of God?

Lunatic, Devil, or Son of God?
John’s gospel records this incident between the Jews gathered in Solomon's Colonnade on the Feast of Dedication and Jesus. Jesus states,
“I and the Father are one.” 
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 
  “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:30-33.
What would you say if someone told you they were God? I think that most people today would think the person to be at the very least mentally ill. Yet the apostle John who knew Jesus personally and was there in Solomon’s Colonnade makes it clear Jesus said he and God the Father were one.
Not only that Jesus said this knowing that he probably would be stoned for making such a statement.
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity gives an explanation as to why Jesus did what he did stating,
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. 
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. 
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. 
You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
Thus the choice is yours. Is Jesus a lunatic, the Devil of Hell, or the Son of God?
Please read the New Testament for yourself before you make your decision.
Please think about it.

Hallmarks

Hallmarks
The apostle John writes,
"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  
He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.  
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.  
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:7-10.
Here is a question we as Christians, believers in Christ Jesus need to be asking ourselves. Who is of God?
While the scriptures tells us not to judge. We do have a right to judge who is of God and who is not in order that we are following correct teaching. This is a especially true if they claim to be Christian. The apostle Paul writes,
"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.
Paul tells us what a true believer in Christ should be exhibiting in their life when he writes,
“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.
Coupled with what the apostle John wrote,
“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10.
This gives us a good idea of who is of God. The above scriptures that I quoted are criteria that we should be applying to anyone who claims to be a Christian be they pastor, evangelist, teacher, someone sitting in the pew or anyone else.
These attributes,
Doing what is right, showing Love, Joy, Peace Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, self-control. Are the hallmarks of a true believer in Christ Jesus.
Are these the hallmarks you see in people you follow?
Are the hallmarks of your life?
Please think about it. 

Pearls, Treasure Poached egg?

Pearls, Treasure, Poached Egg?
Jesus said,
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, 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.
Here is the reason Christians want to tell the world about Jesus. We as believers in Christ Jesus believe knowing Christ in a personal way is like finding hidden treasure. Is like finding precious pearls.
Would you not want to tell someone about the most important thing in your life?
I think anyone finding something that is so incredible, something that has life changing implications for them and others would want to tell people about it. And Christ does change lives.
Now I’m not saying that becoming a Christian will be a bed of Roses. There are many Christians around the world that are being persecuted, put in prison, tortured, and even murdered for their faith.
But the fact that even in the worst of situations Christians will not renounce their faith in Christ is a testament to their belief in what Jesus said when he said,

“..."I am the way and the truth and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

                                                                      John 14:6.

Jesus also saying publicly that he is one with God the Father. John’s gospel quoting Jesus as saying,

"I and the Father are one." 

                                    John 10:30.

C. S. Lewis wisely said,
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. 
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. 
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. 
You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
So the choice is yours
        Please think about it.

Believe it or not

Believe it or not
The apostle Paul writes,
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.”1 Timothy 2:5,6.
Paul also wrote,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.
In Matthews gospel we read of Jesus 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.
The apostle Paul telling us,
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
Romans 10:9-13.
These statements are the basis of Christianity. If these statements are untrue then no one has anything to fear when they stand before God. If on the other hand they are true it becomes a much different matter.
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 my question is to you is; do you believe what is said above.
Please think about it.

Church Hoppers

Church Hoppers
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
I live in a community of around 120,000 people. In our city there is it seems a large church on every second corner and dozens upon dozens of small churches sprinkled liberally in every neighbourhood.
Having so many churches sounds in many ways a good thing. It allows individuals to find a church that best fits the way they like to worship and be taught
On the down side many of those churches big and small are deliberately or out of ignorance of the scriptures not presenting the word of God correctly.
  The apostle Paul writing to Timothy said,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2Timothy 2:15.
That being said we have many people within the church community that we refer to as Church hoppers. People who move from church to church.
Some are truly looking for a church that is truly presenting the gospel message truthfully and in the spirit God mean it to be presented.
Sadly others are bouncing from church to church to get their “feel good fix” of the day. Looking for a church that makes them feel good all over. As one person put it, “gives them a warm fuzzy feeling.
 Other people are outrightly rejecting Biblical truths looking for a church who tells them what they want to hear.

Saint Augustine said of such people,

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, 

and reject what you don’t like, 

it is not the gospel you believe, 

but yourself.” 

                             St Augustine

My question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian, is why do you go to church?
The reason I ask the question is a simple one. Your place in eternity may rest upon your answer.
Please think about it.

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.