I will extol The Lord

I will Extol The Lord
The Psalmist writes,

"I will extol the LORD at all times; 

his praise will always be on my lips. 

My soul will boast in the LORD; 

let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 

Glorify the LORD with me; 

let us exalt his name together." 

                                                  Psalm 34:1-3.

If you consider yourself a Christian do you lift up Gods name at all times? Do you praise Him enthusiastically?
Do you praise the Lord in your troubles?
We don’t praise God because we are having afflictions. Rather we praise God because we know that he will bring us through our troubles.
The book of Acts tells us of a time when Paul and Silas were in prison. It states,
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25.
I’m sure they weren’t praising God because of the bad situation they were in. They were praising God for who He is, knowing that no matter what we go through God was there for them.
Thus my question to anyone who considers themselves a Christian, a true believer in Christ Jesus; do you praise the Lord at all times?
Please think about it. 

We need to

We need to
The apostle Paul wrote,
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 
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.  
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:19-25  
Here the apostle Paul shows how you can tell a true believer in Christ Jesus from one who is only giving lip service. He notes sinful acts are obvious

“sexual immorality, 

impurity and debauchery; 

idolatry and witchcraft; 

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, 

selfish ambition, 

dissensions, factions and envy; 

drunkenness, orgies, 

and the like.”  

Then he points to the fruit of the spirit.

love, joy, 

peace, 

patience, kindness, 

goodness, faithfulness,  

gentleness and self-control.

Which of these characteristics are evident in your life?
Which of these characteristics are evident in the religious or secular leaders you choose to follow?
As believers in Christ we need to pray and ask God to show us how we can experience more of the fruit of the spirit in our life.
At the same time we need to ask God to show us what Characteristics are being shown in the life of the leaders we follow be they religious leaders or political leaders.
We need to remember at all times the words of the apostle Peter who said,

"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.

Are you doing this?
Please think about it.

By this

By this
Jesus said,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34,35.
Here is a clear statement from Jesus about how people will know we are his disciples. If we love one another. Plane and simple.
The apostle Paul wrote,
"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. 
These are characteristics of a true believer in Christ Jesus. So here is a simple question to anyone who would call themselves a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus; are these fruits evident in your life?
Please think about it.

Away from me

Away from me
Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
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 7:21-23.
Here Jesus makes things clear. Not everyone claiming to be a Christian, a follower of his really is. They will make claims that they did miracles, and drove out demons and even prophesied in Jesus name. Yet they will not get into heaven. Jesus saying “away from me you evildoers.”
The apostle Peter warns,
"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." 2Peter2:1,2.
The apostle Paul warns,
"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—  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
This has happened throughout the history of Christianity and is still happening today.
Here in North America where I live we have incredible freedoms. Sadly there are many claiming to be Christians who use that freedom for their unholy ways. Men and women who are everything the apostle Paul warned Timothy about.
Sadly also many who truly believe in Christ Jesus are being led astray by these people.
As believers in Christ Jesus it is up to us to study the bible. To use trusted commentaries on the bible that are not just from one point of view.
We need to carefully listen to what the preacher, evangelist, or teacher is preaching and compare it to what is said in the Bible. We need to pray and ask God to give us guidance. To look at the scripture they are quoting and see if it is not taken out of context. Check and see if it is truly the truth being taught and not a lie.
It can be a daunting task I know for many people. But I believe if we pray with sincerity asking God to show us what is right and what is wrong He will show us.
The key is reading the bible for yourself. Get to know what the bible says well. Take the advice of the apostle Paul who 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.”  2 Timothy 2:15.
Please think about it.

Do you Love

Do you Love?
The apostle John said,
"We love because he first loved us.  
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1John 4:19-21.
I heard a true story of a man who’s brother disagreed with him becoming a Christian so passionately that he entered the mans house while he was doing devotionals with his family. The brother trashed the house and beat up the man.
The man should have called the police and had his brother charged.
What impressed me however was the man that was beaten up told the police that he didn’t want to charge his brother. Then asked fellow Christians to pray for his brothers salvation.
The man could have easily let hate fester inside of him and justifiably had his brother arrested for assault.
That man exemplified what the apostle John is saying in the above scripture. He loved his brother so much he wished no harm to him.
A lot can be learned from how we react in circumstances especially bad ones. As believers in Christ we are called to Love in the way God loves, unconditionally.
When it comes to Godly love no greater example can be shown that the fact that Jesus layed down his life for us.
For me the best definition of love was written by the apostle Paul when he wrote,

“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 is the kind of love God requires of all who love him. It is the kind of love even those who are not Christian can agree with.
So my question is, if you claim to be a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus, do you show this kind of love to those around you.
Please think about it.

Every Deed

Every Deed
James the half brother of Jesus said,
"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
Christianity is at its core not only the way to heaven but it is very much concerned with well being of the individual. James in the above scripture issuing a warning to the wealthy who have not been honest. Men and women who have lived in luxury and self-indulgence at the expense of others.
Jesus also issued such a warning saying,
“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.
This is something anyone who has power be it political, religious, or a business owner employing people, needs to consider carefully. You might get away with mistreating those under you in this world but as the writer of the writer of Ecclesiastes states,
"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 Gods judgement is just, final, and eternal.
Please think about it.

Seek Him

Seek Him

"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.

I truly believe this. Anyone who has an open mind will find God. The reason many Atheist don’t believe in God in my opinion is that they have closed minds. They have made their decision that God does not exist and refuse to admit they just might be wrong.
Someone once said,
“Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.” Author Unknown.
To say adamantly there is no God an individual would have to have been everywhere and know all things. Which is an attribute of God. Thus the Atheist would be God. Meaning God exists. Defeating their argument.
We as mere mortals cannot know all things. The universe and everything in it is too vast for us to comprehend.
Not only that to be absolutely sure God does not exist one would have to have gone beyond the gave and returned to tell us.
We know no one except Jesus has gone beyond the grave and He tells us God exists.
Ultimately belief in God comes down to the individual. Each individual must have faith that God exists.
The writer of Hebrews tells 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.
God however does not ask for blind faith as such. He shows Himself in the world around us. The Psalmist saying,
“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.
We only have to look at the world around us to see God’s handiwork. The earth and the Universe in perfect harmony from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy all in perfect harmony, to allow life as we know it to exist.
Still as I said belief in God is the choice of each individual. God in making the universe did not make robots. He made human beings giving each individual the freedom to choose what they believe.
So it is up to you, do you believe God exists or not?
Please think about.

I believe

I believe
The Psalmist writes,
“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5,6.
I can truly relate to what the psalmist is saying here. I tend to be passionate about telling people about the Love of God and the Saving Grace that comes from Christ Jesus. I do my best to live my faith in front of others.
I at times get upset when I see someone be it in church or in the media that claim to be followers of Christ Jesus and are not acting in a way that He would approve. I get upset when I see men and women using the scriptures for their own personal material enrichment. Such people bring the name of Jesus into ill repute.
The same is true when those who claim to be Christians force their beliefs on others or Judge others. The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
Sadly many claiming to be Christians do not follow Pauls advice. Add that to the lack of accountability within the Christian community many charlatans pretend to be Christians.
The apostle Paul warned of such people saying,
“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 know that ultimately God will deal with such people. That my job in all of this is to tell those around me about the Saving Grace that comes from Jesus Christ. Which is what I try to do in these Blogs.
Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17. 
I believe this to be a true statement. That the primary job of Jesus on this earth was to show each individual the way to heaven. A job that all who believe in Christ should continue doing.
I also believe that God at the same time issued a warning about not believing in Jesus when Jesus said,
“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 3:18.
If I am wrong I and those who think like me have nothing to fear for we in truly believing in what Jesus and the apostles taught will have lived a good life.
If on the other hand I am right then those who disagree with me and those like me have a lot at the very least to consider.
Thus the choice is with you.
Please think about it.

The Choice

The Choice
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.
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.
In my previous Blog post I noted that Jesus said,

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

 No one comes to the Father except through me." 

                                                                     John 14:6.

What the apostle Paul is saying here is this is the way to heaven.
“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.
It’s really that simple. Going to heaven is as simple as truly believing that “Jesus is Lord” and that God raised him from the dead.
Unfortunately having the faith to believe this, is a difficult for many people. Yet it is the foundation of Christian belief.
The writer of Hebrews stated,

"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.

So the question becomes; do you believe Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead?
Please think about it.

The Narrow Gate

The Narrow Gate
Jesus said,

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

 No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

                                                                     John 14:6

Christians those who believe in Christ Jesus are quite often scoffed at or not believed when they say Jesus is the only way to heaven. But what if it is true as we Christians believe?
Jesus noted,

"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.

We as believers in Christ Jesus believe there is a very narrow road to heaven. That road is through Jesus. We believe you only have two choices. Either you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of all who would believe in Him OR He is not.
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 each and every individual who knows about Jesus must decide for him or her self if Jesus is of infinite importance or not.
Is Jesus the way to heaven or is he not?
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

There is no Grey Area

There is no grey area
The apostle John writes,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14.
John makes it clear what he and other believers in Christ Jesus believe. That God created the heavens and the earth. Not only that he notes that Jesus whom he calls “The Word” is God and that “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
I truly believe that God created the heavens and the earth. How He made it or how long it took Him to make it means nothing to me. I simply believe that He created the universe and everything in it.
Albert Einstein stated,
“Human beings vegetables  or cosmic dust. We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” Albert Einstein.
I believe he is right. I also believe that invisible player is God.
We only have to look into science to see how perfectly made the universe is. We live in the perfect spot not just in the solar system but in universe for life to exist. Everything is perfectly tuned that we may live.
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 father of Quantum Mechanics also a 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.
Even Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds if not the greatest mind of the twentieth/twenty-first century made two interesting statements. He said,
“The universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us” Stephen Hawking.
He also noted,
“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,”
Ultimately the choice as to whether God exists or not is up to each individual. There is no grey area when it comes to God. You either believe God exists or you do not.
So what do you believe?
Please think about it.

An Act of Faith

An act of Faith
Isaiah the prophet said,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tiered or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28.
I like the last few words of this statement. Speaking of God Isaiah notes. “...and his understanding no one can fathom.”
It is impossible for a mere mortal to fully understand the mind of God. Or why He does things the way He does.
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
Christians believe that God entered the world in the form of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. That He allowed Jesus to be beaten and crucified. Not only that we as Christians believe He did that for the sins of each individual on the earth.
And according to the apostle Paul,
"...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24
We believe that anyone who believes in Him shall be saved. The apostle Paul quoted as saying
"..Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." Acts 16:31a
Paul writing to the Romans states,
“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.
This kind of belief can I know seem ridiculous to non-Christians. But it is what we believe through faith.

It is faith that God requires of all who would come to know Him. 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 

The writer defining faith as, 

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see."  

                                                                 Hebrews 11:1.

The way I see it anyone who has true faith in anything is the strongest of believers. That is what God wants. He wants men and women who are so faithful that they would go to the grave for Him.
Thus I would ask you. Do you believe in God and the saving Grace that comes through Christ Jesus? The choice is yours.
Please think about it.