Don't pray like the Hypocrites

 Don't pray like the Hypocrites

In Colossians we read,

“Devote yourselves to prayer.”

                                                Colossians 4:2.

I think for many Christians prayer is a hard thing to do. They worry they may be doing it wrongly, or asking to much of God, or not asking for the right things. Added to that we may not always see the results of our prayers right away.

For that matter we may not see the results of our prayers this side of heaven. Still we are called to to devote ourselves to prayer.

Luke’s gospel tells us, 

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

                                                                                Luke 5:16

Jesus gave us instruction on how to pray Matthew records, 

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

"This, then, is how you should pray: " ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'  

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Matthew 6:5-14.

So if you claim to be a true Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. Do you pray as Jesus taught us to pray?

Please think about it.

 How do you treat non-believers?

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

We as mere mortals do not have all the facts. We do not know why a person is like they are. Only God knows that. That's why we must show love and not judge in anyway those around us. There are only two reasons we should judge another person. For our own safety, and to see it they are teaching God’s word correctly.

The apostle Paul states,

“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.” 1Corinthians 5:12,13

You cannot win a soul for Christ if you judge them. Our Job is not to judge them it’s to love them.

The late evangelist Billy Graham once wisely said,

"It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love," 

                                   Billy Graham.

How do you treat non-believers?

Please think about it.

Who's Jesus to you?

 Who's Jesus to you?

"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.

Let me make things clear. I am a Christian. I am not an Anglican-Christian, a Catholic-Christian, a Lutheran-Christian,. I am not Evangelical-Christian, a Baptist-Christian, a Pentecostal-Christian  or any other hyphenated Christian and I am most certainly not a Christian nationalist. I am a Christian.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of Mankind, God incarnate. I believe Christians by default must be evangelical in nature. They must present to the world the  God's Love and Saving Grace that comes through Jesus Christ. 

This may not go over well with some people but then everyone has the right to disagree with me. Everyone has the right to choose whether the message true Christians present to the world is true. 

Who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.

The centre of your life

 The centre of your life

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.

The way I see this portion of scripture in a nutshell is make God the centre of your life. It’s really that simple.

Read the scriptures, pray, love your family, friends and foe alike as God loves them “unconditionally”.

So the question becomes, Are you doing this? Are you making God the centre of your life?

Please think about it.

 Whatever you do.

In Colossians we read,

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17.

As believers we are called to, in word and deed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Do you do this?

Please think about it.

What really matters

 What really matters.

In 1Corinthians we read,

"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.  

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." 1 Corinthians 4:3-5. 

What the apostle Paul is saying here is it doesn’t matter who in this world judges you. What ultimately matters is God’s judgement. For it is God who will determine where you will spend eternity.

Question, When you stand before God what will He say to you?

Please think about it.

Which Description

 Which description 

"Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.  

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.  

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:7-10.

Here is a simple test of to determine who is of God and who is not of God. You will know them by their actions,

The apostle Paul writes,

“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."Galatians 5:19-23.

Which description fits you and the pastors, evangelist and politicians you listen to?

Please think about it.

 Over Nothing

In the book of Job we read,

"He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; 

he suspends the earth over nothing." 

                                                      Job 26:7.

I like this observation of Job. He, an ancient man, looks into the heavens and observes the earth is suspended over nothing.

The Psalmist writes,

“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.

In the book of Genesis we read,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

                                                                            Genesis 1:1

Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics states,

“Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural’) plan.”

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

"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,"  Stephen Hawking 

God not only makes his presence known not just in the Bible but in the mathematical perfection of the Universe. For me you can’t look upon the universe and all it’s glory and say there is no creator behind it.

Do you believe God created the heavens and the earth.

Please think about it.

Outward Appearance

 Outward Appearance

In the book of 1 Samuel we read,

“People look at the outward appearance, 

but the Lord looks at the heart.”

                                                    1 Samuel 16:7.

God said this in connection with David the youngest of Jesse's eight sons. Samuel had seen the oldest son and thought because of his outward appearance he had to be the next king of Israel.

God however knew David’s heart and that he was the one best qualified to rule.

The Psalmist writes,

"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.

This is why I believe only God can truly judge us righteously, because only God knows why we are the way we are.

It is not the Christians job to judge, especially those outside of the Church. That is God’s Job. The apostle Paul writing,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”  1 Corinthians 5:12.

Do you judge people by their outward appearance?

Please think about it

You will seek me and find me

 You will seek me and find me

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

                                                                                                          Jeremiah 29:13.

I think the one reason people do not find God is because they aren’t looking for Him with their whole heart.

Someone has said,

“Maybe the atheist cannot find God 

for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.” 

                                                                       Author Unknown.

To find God we have to believe He exists.

In 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.

And God doesn’t expect blind faith. The Psalmist states,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands." 

                                                                Psalm 19:1.

I firmly believe science done right can prove the existence of God.

Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics

"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan."

William Philips said,

“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it"William Philips Nobel prize winning Physicist.

Werner Heisenberg 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 father of Quantum Mechanics, Nobel prize in physics.

Do you believe God exists?

Please think about it.

You and your wealth

You and your wealth

Matthews gospel tells of this interaction between Jesus and a rich 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,  honor 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.

Let me say something first. There is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s the emphasis you put on your wealth that matters.

Jesus specifically states,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 16:19-21.

It is easy if we are wealthy to put our trust in our wealth and leave God out of the equation. This is what was happening with the rich man who approached Jesus. 

The man believed in God. He followed the religious rules all good things. But his trust was not in God. It was in his material possessions. When Jesus asked him to give away his wealth he couldn’t. 

The apostle Paul warns,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10.

Where do you stand when it comes to your money or your faith?

God may never ask you to give away all your money, but if he does ask you, would you be willing to give it all away?

Please think about it.

Reflecting Gods Light

 Reflecting Gods Light

Jesus said,

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise 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.

This is something we a believers need to take to heart. The world is looking at us and it is through the lense of our words and deeds that people will see God and Christ Jesus.

Francis of Assisi wrote,

"The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                                        Francis of Assisi.

Our lives should reflect the Love of God at all times. We should be loving those around us the way God loves us, unconditionally. We should be exhibiting what the apostle Paul calls the fruit of the spirit,

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...." Galatians 5:22, 23b.

If you claim to be a true follower of Christ Jesus what do people see when they look at your words and deeds?

Do you show the fruit of the Spirit to those around you?

Do you truly reflect the Light of God to those around you?

Please think about it.