Let's Rejoice!

  Let's rejoice!

The Psalmist writes,

"Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; 

let the people of Zion be glad in their King. 

Let them praise his name with dancing 

and make music to him with tambourine and harp. 

For the LORD takes delight in his people; 

he crowns the humble with salvation. 

Let the saints rejoice in this honour 

and sing for joy on their beds." 

                                                Psalm 149:2-5.

What the psalmist is saying here is clear. We are to rejoice in our maker, be glad in our KING.

We are to praise God with dancing, music, with the tambourine and harp and with dancing.

The psalmist reminds us that The LORD delights in His people.

Telling us to rejoice in Gods honour and sing for joy in our beds.

Question,... If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus do you take time during the day to praise God openly?

Please think about it.

Sing to the Lord a new Song

 Sing to the Lord a new Song

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.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, Christians need to praise the LORD. To proclaim His salvation day after day.

Just how do we do it?

Francis of Assisi said,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and 

when necessary use words.”

                                            Francis of Assisi.

Francis of Assisi also warned,

"The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                                Francis of Assisi.

Please think about it.

Praise God before the gods

  Praise God before the gods

The Psalmist writes,

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. Psalm 138:1.

At first glance this verse seems to be an unnecessary statement in the twenty-first century. After all there are no “gods” in this century.

Quite the contrary there are as probably as many gods in 2024AD as there were in 2024BC. 

The thing is while the gods that were in 2024BC have faded into history. There has arisen new gods in 2024AD. Things that we may not realize we hold to be gods. A god by my way of thinking is anything we put our trust in blindly or otherwise. One of the most obvious ones being money and our material possessions. Other things might be religious or political leaders. Again people we follow blindly or otherwise.

Such gods can easily trick us into following them. By the promise of wealth or health or even prestige and social standing.

As believers in the One True God it is important for us to keep our eyes on Him. Not only that but openly praise the LORD with our whole heart publicly, in word and in deed.

We need to in a loving manner tell the world around us that we serve the LORD God Almighty.

If you consider yourself a Christian. Do you praise God publicly in word and deed?

Please think about it.

A question asked

 A question asked.

In the book of James we read,

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14.

Is there a meaning to life? 

Is this life we are living all there is?

Is the sole duty of men and women to have children then die?

Paul Gauguin asked,

“Where Do we Come From? What Are We? Where Are we Going?”

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecclesiastes 1:14

The writer of Ecclesiastes however comes to the conclusion,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

Martin Luther King jr. prayed to God saying,

“Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.” Martin Luther King jr.

Whether we want to admit it or not. Life does go on into eternity and what we do here in this life determines where we will stay in eternity.

The book of Acts record this incident in the apostle Paul’s life,

“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  

He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:30,31.

Question. Do you know where you will spend eternity?

                 Do you believe in God?

                          Do you believe in the Salvation that comes through the Lord Jesus?

Please think about it.

Are you a Dorcas?

 Are you a Dorcas?

In the book of Acts we read,

"Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity." Acts 9:36.

Do you do good works without being prompted? 

Many within the church have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour then stopped. Being quite satisfied with being saved. 

God however doesn’t want us to be satisfied with just being saved. He wants us to reach out in love through good works to those around us. James writes,

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.

    If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14-17.

So is your faith alive or dead?

Our faith should spur us on to good deeds. We should want to help those who are in need of help. I firmly believe that we have an obligation to God to help people to the extent that we are able. Even if it’s just giving a few coins to a homeless person begging on the street.

So what good works and acts of charity have you done recently?

Please think about it.

The Lamb of God

 The Lamb of God

John the Baptist upon seeing Jesus said,

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.

The apostle John writes,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9.

If you think about it you the scripture quoted above has a great deal to say who Jesus is. It says that Jesus takes away the sin of the world. 

That if we confess our sin to Jesus He will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 

This is something only God can do. 

In fact in John’s gospel we read of this incident in the life of Jesus. John records,

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  

I and the Father are one." 

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 

"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:24-33.  

Those who were not believers in Jesus were ready to put Him to death for claiming to be God, which was the penalty for such a thing at the time.

Jesus however never denied His claim despite knowing that it could mean death.

Thus the way I see it Jesus is indeed the Son of God, God incarnate, who forgives sin or He is a lying, and along with his disciples have created the biggest lie in all history.

What do you think?

Please think about it.

But they who wait for the LORD

  But they who wait for the LORD

The Prophet Isaiah states,

“Even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted

But they who wait for the LORD Shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary’

they shall walk and not faint.”

                                                     Isaiah 40:30,31

Life can be hard. All kinds of things hit us. Things that could quite easily knock us off our feet, leaving us exhausted both physically and spiritually.

That being said for those who truly know Christ as their Saviour have help in getting through the rough times. 

Jesus said,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

If you consider yourself a Christian do you put your trust in Christ both in the good times and in the bad?

Please think about it.

A Personal Note

 A personal note

The Psalmist writes,

“I will say of the LORD, 

"He is my refuge and my fortress,

 my God, in whom I trust." 

                                                  Psalm 91:2.

In whom do you trust?

I think this is an important question everyone who claims to be a true follower of Christ Jesus needs to answer.

For me personally this year has been a year of drastic change. I recently lost my wife of forty-five years. She had been ill for several years and we knew it was simply a matter of time before she would pass away.

On the last day of her life, while in the ICU unit at the hospital although in pain she was very lucid knowing what was happing around her. 

We talked about various things. When the medical staff told me there was nothing more they could do for her, I told her and asked her if she was ready to pass. She gave me a weak smile and said “I just want to be with Jesus”.

With that we called the family and the doctors took her off life support. Our pastor arrived, then we, and she, sang amazing grace. We prayed. And as a family we sat by her bed until she passed to the arms of her Lord and Savour Jesus Christ. 

For me it was by far the worst day of my entire life. I can honestly say that although I had a chance to say goodby and knew she was now at peace free of the pain she’d been going through for several years. It was the hardest day of my life.

That being said she showed me that day the extent of her faith in Christ. She had known Christ as her Saviour for close to fifty years. The Lord was her fortress. Her God in whom she trusted.

Later that night when I was completely alone for perhaps the first time in forty-five plus years I cried it seemed oceans of tears. 

But I too knew Christ as my Saviour. I knew God was indeed my fortress. I had spent a lifetime laying that foundation. I knew I could trust God to do the right thing. And in my time of grief God was there to comfort and assure me everything would be fine.

The right thing for my wife was to enter an eternity with Him. The right thing for me was to seek God out and see how I could serve Him more.

Interestingly, several things have happened since my wife’s passing. Doors have opened for me to serve God in more ways.

My question to you however is whom do you trust. Can you say with the Psalmist,

"I will say of the LORD, 

"He is my refuge and my fortress,

 my God, in whom I trust." 

                                                  Psalm 91:2.

Please think about it.

What is faith?

  What is faith?

The writer of Hebrews states,

“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.

God wants us to have faith in Him but not necessarily blind faith.

Robert Brault said,

"God left so many fingerprints at the scene of Creation that you wonder — does He want to be found, or does He want to be stopped?" Robert Brault,

The Psalmist wrote,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands." 

                                                               Psalm 19:1

Werner Heisenberg wrote,

“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.

But believing in something we can’t see is for many a very hard thing to do. Which perhaps is why God asks us to have faith in Him.

Please think about it.

Pray for the 365 million

 Pray for the 365 million

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.

As Christians we serve a God who calls all people from every nation to trust in Him by faith. He simply asks that we truly believe with our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with our mouth to those around us that “Jesus is Lord” we will be saved and enter heaven.

That being said, God understands that it is not safe to confess Jesus as Lord in some parts of the world. 

Paul and the other apostles certainly knew what it was like to be persecuted for their faith. They were thrown in prison, tortured, beaten, stoned, crucified, among other things. Yet they still confessed Jesus as Lord.

I firmly believe in places where Christians are persecuted they need to pray and ask for Gods protection. They need to ask God for wisdom in how to spread the gospel and who to talk to.

As for we who live in areas that are free from persecution. We need to remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith. Additionally we need to hold our persecuted brothers and sisters up in prayer before God. And do all we can to help them.

According to one British parliament report in 2023 “Around 365 million Christians are subject to "high levels of persecution and discrimination"

If you claim to be a true Christian are you at the very least praying for your persecuted brothers and sisters in the Lord?

Praying and doing what we can to help persecuted Christians in the world should not be something we simply think about. 

We need to at the very least pray!

Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.

We are grass

 We are all grass

    "A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" 

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:6-8.

We are fragile even if we are in good health are bodies are fragile. A simple fall as we walk along the road can kill us.

All of our institutions everything man has created is fragile. Just take a look Pompeii everything gone in an instant when a volcano erupted. The grandeur of one of the greatest civilizations in history, Rome. Nothing more than ruins. 

Governments and institutions of every kind have faded into obscurity.

Yet through it all God’s word is still standing.

Also still there the call to people everywhere that God loves them. Jesus speaking of Himself saying,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

Have you put your trust in God? Do you believe Jesus when he 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?

Please think about it.

This very night

This very night

Jesus told this story,

“And he (Jesus) told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  

He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 

"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  

And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21.

Here is a simple question to Christians. Are you rich toward God?

Now there’s nothing wrong with being wealthy. Many wealthy people throughout the years have helped spread the gospel message.

The problem comes when you put your trust in your wealth. 

You don’t know if you will live to see the next moment let alone the next day or year. Thus we should have our lives right before God at all times. 

We need to accept the gift of salvation that comes from God through Jesus Christ. We need to confess our sins directly to God. 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.

So my question to you is... have you confessed your sin to God and accepted the salvation God offers through Christ Jesus? 

Jesus speaking of himself stating, 

"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.