You should

  You should

Jesus said,

“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”Matthew 5:42.

Give to those who asks? Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you? Really? Is this what a Christian suppose to do?

According to Jesus it is.

Thus my question to anyone who would consider themselves a Christian. If it is in your power to help anyone who aks you for help, do you help? Do you lend to those who asks to borrow something from you?

The answer to those questions according to Jesus is you should be.

Please think about it.

Speak for

  Speak for

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, 

for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly; 

defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

                                                              Proverbs 31:8,9.

These are words from the bible not mine. Notice they don’t give the reader the an option. It states clearly 

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, 

for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly; 

defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

                                                              Proverbs 31:8,9.

 Sadly when I look around North America where I live there are many calling themselves Christians, especially politicians, who are not following this call of God.

We as believers in God are called to help those in need period. Even if it is in just a small way. 

I like the way the American Evangelist Tony Campolo put it,

“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.” Tony Campolo.

So if you consider yourself a Christian a believer in Christ Jesus what are you doing to help those in need around you?

Please think about it.

Can you truly say?

 Can you truly say?

The Psalmist writes,

"I love you, O LORD, my strength. 

The LORD is my rock, 

my fortress and my deliverer; 

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. 

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,

 my stronghold." 

                                Psalm 18:1,2.

The simple question I would ask of anyone who claims to be a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus is; 

Can you truly say say with the Psalmist.

"I love you, O LORD, my strength. 

The LORD is my rock, 

my fortress and my deliverer; 

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. 

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,

 my stronghold." 

                                Psalm 18:1,2.

Please think about it.

Without Faith

 Without Faith

In the book of Joshua we read,

“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 really serve? Who or what takes first place in your life?

In the book of Matthew we read of this conversation between Jesus and a rich young man

“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.

Sadly many people here in North America where I live although they claim to be Christians don’t put God first in their lives. Instead they put their wealth first. 

I know that trusting in God alone for your daily needs can be hard. Never-the-less we must put our faith wholly in God irrespective of the circumstances we find ourselves in. For as the writer of Hebrews states,

“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.

Please think about it.

A Believers Hope

  A Believers Hope

The apostle Peter wrote,

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you” 1Peter 1:3-4.

The apostle Peter in a nutshell says it all. As believes in Christ Jesus we believe that God in His mercy has given us a living hope through the resurrection of Christ Jesus.

That we have an inheritance in heaven that can never fade, perish or spoil. An inheritance no one on earth can take away from us.

Do you have the same hope? If not you can have such hope. The apostle Paul writes,

“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.

So the choice is yours. Do you believe in Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

What I believe

  What I believe

The apostle John states,

“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 here refers to Jesus as...

  “the word” 

That he was... 

“with God in the beginning”

That .....

“Without him nothing was made that has been made.”

That....

“In him was life and that life was the light of men...”

That...

“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

John then states that he and the other disciples had seen his glory the glory of the one and only who came from the Father.

And the reason all this happened is made clear by the apostle John who states,

“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.

  At the same time the apostle John writes a warning when he states,

“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.

It is a message that neither I or anyone who believes in Christ Jesus can force anyone to believe. I simply place it here for those who would read it to simply think about.

Please think about it.

Ticket

                                                           Ticket

                                                      “Where am I?

                                                          What, am...

                                                        I doing here?”

                                                        “You are her.”

                                                     Says the Conductor.

                                                      “Your ticket please.”

                                                     “I bought no ticket.

                                                          I took no ride.

                                                           Where am I?”

           “Your ride is over,                  You are here.               All take the ride.

       Your ticket’s paid for,           Says the Conductor            You are here.

        Your ticket please,                 Please your ticket.              Your ticket please.

    

                                                      “I took no ride!

                                                         Where am I?

                                                      I demand to know!

                                                          I took no...

                                                             ride...

                                                            Am I...”

                                                    “You are here.

                                                     All take the ride.

                                                   The ticket paid for,

                                                    With My blood.

                                                   You were offered

                                                       The Ticket

                                                    Did you refuse?”

                                                   “Wait a minute...

                                                     I am here...

                                                    I have no ticket...

                                                    And you are...?”

                                                         “Jesus.

                                                     Your Judge?

                                                     Your Saviour?”

Jesus said, 

“....“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

You dear reader must decide whether what Jesus is recorded as saying in John 14:6 is right or wrong. For upon your decision, could rest where you will spend eternity. 

Please think about it.

The Gospel Message

 The Gospel Message

Matthews gospel records,

“Then Jesus came to them and said, 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

                                                                                      Matthew 28:18-20

He said to them, 

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, 

but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 

                                                                                      Matthew 16:15,16

  On October 19th 2013 a faithful man died. He never became a household name but I’m sure today heaven is rejoicing.

  His name Konstantin Vladianu. He was born in Pinzaran Moldova in the former Soviet Union. He died in Hamilton Ontario Canada.

 His obituary reads in part.

 “Konstantin’s faith in God was the most central thing in his life. He was very involved in the secret underground church, and he was a gifted preacher, blessed with dreams and visions from God which directed his life. He led his family by example in sacrificial giving of his time and resources.”

  Konstantin truly knew what it was to serve God. To go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation and he did it under pain of imprisonment. Something few people here in the western world have ever experienced.

  He did this because his first love was God and he was obedient to God’s word.

  As Christians particularly here in the west we need to from time to time evaluate what we are doing for God.

  Are we truly taking the gospel message into our world, be that world within our country, our city, town or simply to our neighbourhood.

  Please think about it.

A Reward

  A Reward

The apostle Paul writes,

“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 4:8.

Here is a simple reason for believing in God. God will reward us for our belief in Him and for all we have done for Him.

Here’s a simple question: Will you receive a crown of righteousness from God on the day you stand before Him?

Do you truly long for God’s appearing?

Please think about it.

Worship The Lord

  Worship the Lord

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

If you consider yourself a Christian a true believer in Christ Jesus can you in all honesty praise God in the way the Psalmist does here in Psalm 100?

Sadly in our 24/7 world we quite often fail to take time to praise and worship God. 

At the same time I believe many especially here in North America where I live look at the Covid crisis and wonder why they should praise God. Covid sadly for many in the church has challenged their faith.

That being said I read daily of persecuted Christians around the world in far worse situations than we live here in North America praising God for being there for them in very difficult circumstances. 

So here’s an idea. First pray for those believers in Christ Jesus who are in prison or under persecution around the world. 

Then take time to praise God not just for all you have, but for simply being God. A God who is worthy of all praise.

Please think about it. 

The interests of others

  The interests of others.

The apostle Paul writes,

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4.

It is said that a crisis brings out both the best in people and the worst in people. The covid crisis we are in I believe is proving this especially here in North America where I live.

Many calling themselves Christians are out there shouting “I have my rights!” “I have the right to not wear a mask!” “I have the right to meet without socially distancing.”

Yes an individuals rights are enshrined in both the American and Canadian constitutions. That being said, if we as Christians are worshipping our rights over God there’s a problem.

When we demand our rights at the cost of the rights of others to stay safe or free from covid for instance that is wrong.

The apostle Paul tells us,

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4.

That means that despite having rights, we at times must put the interests of others ahead of our own. If that means wearing something as simple as a mask or social distancing so be it. If that means we have to worship in small groups or over zoom as inconvenient as it may be we should be doing so.

As long as we don’t loose the right to worship then we must be willing temporarily at least, to give up our rights.

As Christians we must always put the rights of others ahead of our own. And that’s not me speaking. That is what the apostle Paul himself tells us.

So what is more important to you, your rights or the interests of others?

Please think about it  

What are you doing?

 What are you doing?

The Apostle John writes,

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1John 3:17,18.

Here is something that if you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus you cannot refuse to do. Help others in need.

I firmly believe that all Christians no matter their station in life, if they can help someone even with a cup of cold water we must do it.

Jesus said,

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42.

I firmly believe that the more blessed we are materially the more we are obligated as followers of Christ Jesus to help others. This especially is true for politicians who have the power to help those in need the most.

As Christians we cannot stand by and let people suffer. We must help those in need.

Question: What are you doing to help those in need around your city, town or village?

Please think about it.