Above all

 Above all

The writer of Hebrews states,

"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.

The Apostle Peter who wrote,

"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 2:11,12.

Jesus 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.

I know we are all human, make mistakes and fall short of what God wants for our lives. That being said however, if we are truly followers of Christ Jesus we should be at least trying to make the above scriptures active in our daily lives.

Thus my questions to you. 

Are you trying to live at peace with all those around you? 

Are you trying to live a holy life? 

Are you doing your best to abstain from sinful desires? 

Above all are you treating those around you in the same way your would have them treat you?

Please think about it.

What are you telling others

  What are you telling others?

The apostle Paul writes,

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12.

When people see you do they see these characteristics in your life?

Paul notes in his letter to the Galatians,

“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.

I don’t think that you can truly call yourself a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus if these attributes are not being exhibited in your life.

Paul writing to the Ephesians stated,

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" Ephesians 2:10.

Are you doing good works?

Francis of Assisi tells us,

"The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                             Francis of Assisi.

So what is your sermon telling others?

Please think about it. 

Call on Him

  Call on Him

Jeremiah the prophet states,

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12,13.

In order to find God we must be searching for Him. Not only that but when the truth of Gods existence is revealed to us, we must continue to seek the truths He offers to us.

Jesus said,

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.

The Christian life is one of continued growth. The more we study the scriptures the more we grow into the person God wants us to be.

Jesus told us,

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7,8.

If you claim to be a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus do you study the scriptures, praying, calling on God that He will show you the truths that are within their pages?

Please think about it.

Are you showing...

  Are you showing...

In the book of Genesis we read,

“So God created man in his own image,

In the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.” 

                                                      Genesis 1:27.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.

What these two portions of scripture mean to me is that God knows our very genetic make up. That we no matter who we are, we are made in Gods image. That God knows everything about us. As such only He has the power to judge us.

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  Luke 6:37.

The Christian walk is one of love. Jesus when asked,

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 

Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 

This is the first and greatest commandment.  

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36-40.

We will never win a soul for Christ if we judge them. As the late American evangelist Billy Graham stated,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                                          Billy Graham.

So the question becomes, if you are a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus are you showing the unconditional love to those around you?

  Please think about it.

The Lord gives and takes

  The Lord Gives and takes

In the book of Job we read,

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; 

may the name of the Lord be praised.”

                                                              Job 1:21   

Do you believe this? I think this is a hard concept for people especially here in North America with its materialistic society to understand. 

As for me I admire Job. He had things in perspective. He truly loved God and trusted in him. Job going as far as saying,

“Though He (God) slay me, yet will I hope in him; 

 I will surely defend my ways to his face.” 

                                                                 Job 13:15.

I wonder how many of us can say this? Could you?

Please think about it.

Do you?

Do you?

The Psalmist writes,

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonders. 

I will be glad and rejoice in you; 

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 

                                                            Psalm 9:1,2.

A simple question; Do you take time during your day to praise the LORD with your whole heart?

Are you glad about the relationship you have with God?

Do you rejoice in God?

Do you sing the praises to the Most High God?

Please think about it.

Can you?

  Can you?

Question; Can you with the Psalmist say?

“I will say of the LORD,

 “He is my refuge and my fortress,

 my God, in whom I trust.” 

                                          Psalm 91:2.

Can you truly say?

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

 but we trust in the name of the LORD our God”

                                                                     Psalm 20:7.

C. S. Lewis wrote,

“You can’t analyse God. He is too awesome, too big, too mysterious, I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You Yourself are the answer.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” C. S. Lewis.

If you claim to be a true Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus do you truly trust God with your future and your life?

Please think about it.

So

  So

The apostle Peter writes,

“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” 1 peter 2:16  

In the book of James we read,

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  

because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement!” James 2:12,13.

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  Luke 6:37.

As Christians especially here in the democracies of the west we have great freedom to do as we wish. That being said the scriptures make it clear that we have limitations on our actions as Christians. Foremost is that we have no right to judge anyone. Especially those outside our faith. Not only that we are called to show mercy to those around us.

The bottom line however comes down to 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.

So in your dealings with others, especially those who do not believe as you believe or have a lifestyle different from yours do you

     “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” Luke 6:31?

Please think about it.

You shall

  You shall

In the book of Exodus we read,

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

                                                      Exodus 20:3.

So my question to you the reader especially if you consider yourself a Christian; do you have any other gods in your life.

Simply put other gods in the twenty-first century is anything in your life that comes before God. That can be anything from your political views, to sports, to hobbies, to money or the making of money beyond what you really need.

Sadly may calling themselves Christians in especially North America have many gods in their lives and quite often don’t realize it. That’s why at times we need to sit down in a quiet place pray and ask God to show us what we are putting before Him

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.

Please think about it.

Can you?

  Can you?

The Psalmist writes,

“I say to the Lord,

You are my Lord; 

apart from you I have no good thing.” 

                                                  Psalm 16:2.

For the last few blog posts I have written about how I believe we get to heaven. Now my question to you is, can you for certain say with the Psalmist,

“I say to the Lord,

You are my Lord; 

apart from you I have no good thing.” 

                                                  Psalm 16:2.

Please think about it.

It is simple... or maybe not

  It is simple,... or maybe not.

The apostle Peter said,

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Acts 2:21

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.  Romans 10: 9,10.

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.

I often think God called us to believe in Him by faith because it is not an easy thing to do. Most people I would think have a problem believing in something they cannot see, hear or touch. Yet this is exactly what God wants from us.

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.

Thus I would ask do you have the faith to believe Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead?

Please think about it.

Why we do it

  Why we do it

Jesus told this parable,  

“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.

Someone as asked “why do Christians talk about Jesus so much?” the answer to that is in the above quote from Jesus.

We as Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus truly believe we have, in Jesus found a hidden treasure or a fine pearl of great price, and we want to tell the world about it.

We do truly believe that the most important person in all of history and in our personal lives is Jesus.

Jesus is God incarnate who came to this earth to die for our sins. To make away for us to go to heaven.

The apostle Paul telling us,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

That being said all we can do is present what we believe to anyone who will listen. All we can do is tell those around us what 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.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.