Let us

  Let us

In the book of Romans the apostle Paul writes,

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19.

We live in uncertain times. Around the world terrorist groups attack, kill and destroy anyone who speaks out against them. Wars and rumours of wars are everywhere. Political unrest abounds.

It is into this world that we as Christians are called to make every effort to do what we can to bring about peace. 

The apostle Paul telling us,

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18.

So my question to you is, Are you doing what you can to live at peace with those around you?

Please think about it.

Respectfully

 Respectfully 

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." 1 Peter 3:15,16.

This I believe is important advice for all who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus. We are to be prepared at all times to tell anyone who asks why we believe in our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. 

Peter also makes it clear we are to do this “with gentleness and respect”. 

We must never be aggressive when presenting the Gospel massage. We should always respect the listener. 

I have always believed that we should say to a person “this is what I believe. It’s your decision whether or not you believe it."

How do you present the gospel message?

Do you present the gospel message in a way that is respectful to the one listening to you?

Please think about it.

A People of God

 A people of God

The apostle Peter writes,

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

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 2:9-12.

This section of scripture resonates with me. You see for most of my adult life I have lived in a country that is not the one in which I was born. I am a landed immigrant legally allowed to live here. That being said I am an alien in the country in which I choose to live. 

I know that I must obey the laws of the land in which I live. Failure to do so would mean my being sent back to the land of my birth.

This is what Peter here is saying. As Christians. Believers in Christ Jesus. We are strangers in the country in which we live. As such we must obey the laws of that land. We must “abstain from sinful desires”.

We must live such good lives among the people of the country in which we live. So that even though they may accuse us of doing wrong. “They may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us”.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. Do you live a good life? When people see you do they see a good person. One who truly represents Christ? 

When people see you do they see Christ within you?

Please think about it.

In every situation

  In every situation

In the book of Philippians we read,

“Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

 let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God , 

which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

                                                                          Philippians 4; 6,7.

I think we all become anxious from time to time. Especially when we run into problems. 

    Problems are unfortunately part of life. And it’s easy to let those problems pull us away from God.

That is why we need to make God the most important part of our life. The one we turn to each morning, the one we pray to each night and the one we go to throughout the day. For in doing so we will find what Paul writes is true,

"Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

 let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God , 

which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

                                                                          Philippians 4; 6,7.

Do you take your requests to God daily?

        How important is God in your life?

Please think about it.

The Messiah

 The Messiah

Jesus 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

In the gospel of Matthew we read,

"...The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."Matthew 26:63,64.

In the book of Acts when Peter stood before the elders and rulers Peter said,

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

The above verses from the New Testament show what the writers of the New Testament believed Jesus to be. These claims were controversial then and still are today.

C. S. Lewis wrote,

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. 

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. 

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

So who is Jesus to you?

Please think about it.

By the Grace of God

  By the Grace of God

The apostle Paul 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.

Writing to the Romans the apostle Paul states,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:23,24.

Christians believe that God in the form of His Son Christ Jesus, reached down to mankind offering each individual who believes Him the way to heaven.

We believe Christ paid the price for the sins of each one who would believe in Him. 

The apostle Paul writing,

"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour 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.

Jesus speaking of 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.  

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.

Do you believe in God? Do you believe that God sent His one and Only Son into the world to pay the price for your sins? 

Have you accepted the saving Grace that come from God through Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Slow to anger

  Slow to anger

In the book of Nahum we read,

“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,

and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. 

His way is in the whirlwind and storm,

and the clouds are the dust of his feet.”

                                                                    Nahum 1:3

Nahum said it, “The LORD is slow to anger”. 

I firmly believe God gives everyone a chance to follow Him. Going to great lengths to show people the way to heaven.

Jesus 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. 

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.

God has gone to extreme lengths in human terms to show how He loves each and every individual on this planet. 

C. S. Lewis writes,

"He died not for men, but for each man. 

If each man had been the only man made, 

He would have done no less." 

                                             C.S. Lewis.

That being said God has given us a warning Jesus saying,

“Whoever believes in him (Jesus) 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 3:18

God has also given each individual a free will. Thus a person can choose to believe in God or not. 

Do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

A warning to all

 A warning to all

In the book of James we read,

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  

Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  

You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." James 5:1-6

In Ecclesiastes we read,

"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.

What is said above is not just for the wealthy but for all people. It is important especially if you claim to be a Christian, a true follower of Christ Jesus, that you deal honestly with those you interact with, be they a customer, some one who works for you or just some random person you deal with.

So are you dealing honestly with people? What will God say about your dealings when you stand before Him on judgement day?

Please think about it.

Dealing Honourably and Faithfully

 Dealing Honourably and Faithfully

Jesus told this story

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  

At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.  

In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  

So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 

"But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  

And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' 

"He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house,  

for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 

"Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 

" ‘No, father Abraham,' he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 

"He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " Luke 16:19-31

Here we have a warning to not just the rich but to all who have the ability to help the poor and less fortunate. Especially for those who believe in God. You need to care for those who are not as fortunate as you in life.

In the Talmud we read,

"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not,    "Have you believed in God?"  Or "Have you prayed and observed the ritual?”  "He is asked: "have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?" The Talmud

So my question to you dear reader is, If you consider yourself a Christian or for that matter if you don’t consider yourself a Christian, do you deal honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow man?

Please think about it.

A Household of Love

 A Household of Love

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.

In the book of James we read,

"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.

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.

Do you do what you can to help the poor and those less fortunate in your community?

I know most of us don’t have thousands of dollars lying around that we can give to the poor. But we all have something we can give. Even if it’s just giving some spare change to a homeless person begging on the street corner. Other ways to give is by donating to a reputable charity. OR, by getting involved by volunteering with a local food bank or other groups that minister to the less fortunate.

If you’re not already, consider volunteering or giving (even if it’s just a few dollars) to a program that is helping the poor. Actions that will show that you are contributing to make the world around you “a household of love”.

Please think about it.

Receiving God's Mercy

  Receiving God’s Mercy

In the gospel of Luke, Luke quotes Mary the mother of Jesus saying,

"And Mary said:                                                                                                         

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. 

From now on all generations will call me blessed, 

for the Mighty One has done great things for me

holy is his name. 

His mercy extends to those who fear him, 

from generation to generation.” 

                                                      Luke 1:46-50.

Truly all generations of Christians are calling Mary blessed. What could be greater than God choosing her to bring forth His son Jesus.

Notable here is what Mary says about those who fear God. She states,

“His mercy extends to those who fear him, 

from generation to generation.”

 If you truly believe in God and His Son Christ Jesus then God’s mercy is shown to you. It is through the Mercy of God that comes from believing in Christ Jesus that saves us. The apostle Paul writing,

"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour 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.

Do you believe in God? 

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Have you received God’s mercy?

Please think about it.

To all who believe in Him

  To all who believe in Him

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.

There are a lot of things in this world that we can loose. Our wealth, our possessions, our health, even our friends and family.

That being said, when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour we are given a “new birth into a living hope”. With this comes an inheritance that can never perish. One kept in heaven.

Jesus said,

"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 6:19-21

Blaise Pascal 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.

Do you believe in God? 

Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God a Saviour to all who believe in Him?

Please think about it.