Giving

  Giving

In the book of James we read,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" James 2:14-20

Martin Luther King, Jr. Said,

“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 

'What are you doing for others?'”

                                      Martin Luther King, Jr.

As Christians, true believers in Christ Jesus we must always remember that we are to help others, Christians and non-Christians as much as we can.

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.

So if you see a homeless person on the street and have a few coins, bills or even food you can give. Why not do so in the name of Jesus. If you were in that position would you not want someone to help you.

If you get a chance to tell someone about Jesus and your faith in God, do so. You never know what may happen.

When you do these things however do them in the name of Christ and do them in secret. Jesus said,

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret..."Matthew 6:3,4a.

Please think about it.

When we forget

 When we forget

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"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.

We must believe in God.

Abba Hillel Silver wrote,

“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.

If we do not have faith that God exists and follow the basic rules that He has place in each persons heart and mined, then we run into the very distinct possibility that the rule of law means nothing. We see this made clear every time a crime or murder is committed. The person doing the crime is not thinking about God.

If we fail to fear Gods judgement either in this life or in eternity then we run into the very real possibility that society will fall into anarchy or oppression.

Nazi Germany is a prime example, as are other dictatorships around the world who strip people of their basic human rights.

I firmly believe that when men forget or fail to recognize God and his laws, bad things can an do happen.

Question; Do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

Eternal beings

 Eternal beings

Jesus speaking about God the Father said,

“He is not the God of the dead,

 but of the living, 

for to Him all are alive." 

                                   Luke 20:38

Whether we like to admit it or not we are eternal beings. Life does not end with death. This is made clear by the above statement made by Jesus. The last phrase says it all. “...For to Him (God) all are alive.” 

If this statement is true, and I believe it is. The question becomes, where will you spend eternity.

The apostle Peter makes it clear,

"By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7.

God will one day judge all of mankind. So will you be good enough to go to heaven?

We can know here and now if we will get to heaven.

The apostle Paul writes,

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

To the Ephesians he writes,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9.

What all this means is anyone can get to heaven if they truly believe in Christ Jesus. This salvation is a gift from God. A gift we can either accept or reject.

Thus the choice is yours.

Do you believe in Christ Jesus and that He died for you sins?

Please think about it.

Which group are you in?

  Which group are you in?

The book of Acts tells us of this incident in the life of the apostle Paul. The word he spoke are as meaningful today as they were when he spoke the words.

The book of acts states,

"So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.  

Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean."  

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.' 

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill.  

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."  

At that, Paul left the Council.  

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others”Acts 17:17-34

The question becomes which group are you in, those who sneered, those who wanted to hear more, or those who believed what Paul said and became followers of Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Will you Declare?

  Will you Declare?

The Psalmist writes,

"Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth. 

Sing to the LORD, 

praise his name; 

proclaim his salvation day after day. 

Declare his glory among the nations, 

his marvellous deeds among all peoples." 

                                                                  Psalm 96:1-3

If you are a true believer in Christ Jesus. Will you take sometime today to praise the Lord. Will you ask God to open a door that you may tell someone about Gods glory and Love.

That you may tell someone the words of Jesus who 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.

Please think about it.

When was the last time?

  When was the last time

The Psalmist writes,

“Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing, 

praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.” 

                                  Psalm 150.

If you claim to be a Christian, a true believer in Christ Jesus, are you taking time during your day to praise God?

When was the last time outside of Church that you praised God?

Please think about it.

The Lord God is One

  The Lord God is One

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.

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk to them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9   

       There is I believe a simple way to say this.

God should be central in the life of all believers. We should be teaching all we know and believe about God to our children. We should talk about him to with other believers and with those who don’t believe who are willing to listen to us.

We should pray to him all the time and praise Him as often as we can.

Question; If you consider yourself a true believer in Christ Jesus, a true believer in God are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Do you have faith?

  Do you have faith?

"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 

Blaise Pascal wrote,

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.” Blaise Pascal.

To my mind faith in anything or anyone is the most difficult thing one can be asked to have. That is doubly so if you can’t see that person or thing. I think that is why God asks us to have faith in Him.

People of faith are the strongest believers. Those who have faith especially in a person are those who would literary die for what they believe in.

At the same time the requirement to have faith in someone quite often rules out those who would doubt the person. After all why would you put your life on the line for someone you can’t see or hear?

Thus the question becomes; Do you have enough faith to believe in an unseen God?

Please think about it. 

I Know God exists

  I know God exists

“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.

Ben Zion Bokser wrote,

“I have not seen the robin but I know he is there because I heard him singing through my window from the tree-top outside.

I have not seen God.  But I have looked at my child’s eyes, and have been overwhelmed by the miracle of unfolding life.

I have watched the trees bedeck themselves with new garbs of green in the spring, and have been stirred by the miracle of continual rebirth.

I have looked at the stars, and have been overcome by the miracle of the grandeur and majesty of the universe.

I know that God exists, because I have heard the song of His presence from all the tree-tops of creation.” Ben Zion Bokser.

I like what Ben Zion Bokser is saying. He in essence is saying that while we cannot see God we can see Him in His creation.

Stephen Hawking one of the arguably one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century said,

“The universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us" Stephen Hawking.

God is real. Ultimately however it comes down to what you believe.

The way I see it however is the decision you make about God, can affect your life throughout eternity.

Your decision is as Blaise Pascal said, a wager. He wrote,

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal

Please think about it.

Lord make me an instrument

 Lord make me an instrument

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10.

Francis of Assisi wrote this prayer. One we who claim to be true believers in Christ Jesus need to take to heart.

"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

Please think about it.

Let your light

  Let your light 

Jesus said,

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16.

The apostle Peter writes,

“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.

Are you known for your good deeds? Are you presenting Christ through your words and deeds in a good light?

Francis of Assisi wrote,

"The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                                                           Francis of Assisi.

What is your sermon telling those around you?

Please think about it.

Proof of Commitment

  Proof of Commitment 

Jesus talking to the rich man said,

“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” Mark 10:21.

To me the true test of a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus is if you can give up everything and follow Him.

I see this in the persecuted Church around the world. In order to follow Jesus many of them are forced to give up house and home. Many are shunned by their family. Some are imprisoned. Some are the object of violence. Yet they continue to put their trust in Christ Jesus.

All of what is happening to these Christians happened to those in the who believed in Christ in biblical times.

To these people Jesus promises,

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39.

Question; Are you willing to give up everything for Christ?

Please think about it.