Trust in God

  Trust in God

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

                                                                                                  Proverbs 3:5,6.

This is a very clear directive given to all believers. We are called to trust God no matter what happens.

Job who went through many problems said,

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; 

I will surely defend my ways to his face.”

                                                             Job 13:15.

Job may not have known why everything that was happening to him, was happening. He did however know that he truly believed in God. And was willing to defend his actions to God.

The apostle Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, beaten, and eventually put to death for what he believed. Yet he never faltered in his faith in God. He believed, what he believed was right and went to his grave for those beliefs.

This is how we should be today. We should know what we believe and why we believe it. And why we believe something should not be the result of only listening to a preacher, teacher, or evangelist. We should be studying the word of God for ourselves. Reading the Bible so that we know first hand why we believe what we believe.

If you consider yourself a Christian could you defend what you believe before others?

Please think about it.

Dear Christian

  Dear Christian

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, 

do good to those who hate you,  

bless those who curse you, 

pray for those who mistreat you.... 

Do to others as you would have them do to you." 

                                                                             Luke 6:27,28,31.

The message to Christians here is strait forward. Love. Love the way God loves, unconditionally. 

So dear Christian the question becomes....

Do you love those around you the way God loves?

Please think about it.

We must have faith.

  We must have faith

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"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.

To believe in something you can see, is for many a very difficult if not impossible thing to do. Yet God requires it of all who would wish to go to heaven.

The apostle Paul tells 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. Romans 10:9,10.

So do you believe in the Saving Grace that comes from God through Jesus Christ our Lord?

Please think about it.

Our works cannot save us.

  Our works cannot save us.

The apostle Paul wrote, 

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:4,5

In the book of Ephesians we read,

“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.

Our works as good as they may be cannot save us. They cannot get us to heaven. It is only by the grace of God that we get to heaven.

The apostle Paul making it very clear writing,

"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.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The things you accumulate

  The things you accumulate. 

The apostle Peter writes,

"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.

If you accept the saving grace offered to you by God through Christ Jesus. Then you can praise God because the inheritance we have is not in this world but in heaven where it can never spoil or fade.

The riches you may accumulate in this world are fleeting. At the end of your life they will be dispersed among other people. They will no longer be yours. But the things you do for Christ. The things you do for God will be yours forever.

Please think about it.

It sounds foolish

 It sounds foolish

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.

The Christian message can I suppose be seen to be foolish. After all we Christians believe Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh. Not only that we believe our Saviour, Jesus, died for our sins.

Why would God do such a thing. The answer was given by Jesus himself. Who speaking about himself 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.

God loves us unconditionally. That’s why He came to the world He created in the form of Christ Jesus. To show the world in human terms how far He would go to show each individual the way to heaven.

Do you believe this?   

Please think about it.

A Criminals Confession

  A Criminals Confession

In the Gospel of Luke we read of this conversation between the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus and Jesus.

Luke records,

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

It has been pointed out to me that the criminal that Jesus said would get to heaven (Paradise) never said the sinners prayer.

I pointed out the sinners prayer isn’t seen in the Bible and that the criminal that believed in Jesus did everything he was called to do to enter heaven.

He believed Jesus was who he claimed to be. And he confessed his sins.

The apostle Paul pointing out,

"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 apostle John stating,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1John 1:9-10.

Is this you today? 

Do you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord?

Have you confessed your sins to God?

If you truly did this you are on your way to Heaven.

Please think about it.

How to get to heaven

  How to get to heaven

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.” Romans 10:9,10.

Getting to heaven is that simple. 

Confessing Jesus is Lord.

Believing God raised Him from the Dead.

These two points are sadly for many people not something they believe.

That being said do you?

Please think about it.

Who is Jesus?

 Who is Jesus

In John’s gospel we read,

"Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?' Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?'" John 18:37-38.

Pilot ultimately found no wrong in Jesus. Never the less out of political expediency he allowed Jesus to be put to death.

So who is Jesus to you?

In the book of acts we read of the apostle Peter saying,

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36.

Jesus himself said,

"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 John writes,

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  

We write this to make our joy complete. " 1John 1:1-4. 

This is what men that knew Jesus personally believed Jesus to be. So are they right in what they believe?

What do you think?

Please think about it.

Our duty

  Our duty

In proverbs we read,

"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13.

In the book of Leviticus we read,

" ‘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.

Do you do what you can to help the poor, even if it’s just giving a small amount to a reputable charity or church?

Have you ever slipped a couple of dollars, to a beggar on the street?

I’ve heard many say if I give to someone on the street how do I know they are not going to buy drugs? The answer is you don’t. But that’s between them and God. You are not responsible for what they do with the money you give them. You have given because you think it’s the right thing to do. You should not be judging them.

As believers in Christ Jesus it is our duty to do what we can to help others.

Are you?

Please think about it.

Love with Actions

  Love with actions

The apostle John writes,

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.... 

"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 3:11,17,18.

The Bible is full of admonitions to the believer to help those in need. 

In the Talmud we read,

“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, "Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?"  He answered, "God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love." The Talmud.

Are you making the world around you a household of Love?

Please think about it.

Do you serve?

  Do you serve?

In the book of Galatians we read,

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13.

Do you serve others especially those who are in your church congregation?

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.

So I ask the question. Do you serve? Do you help those in need in word and in deed?

Please think about it.