In good and bad

 In good and bad

In the book of Lamentations we read,

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22,23.

God’s love is unending. Not only that God’s love can reach even the darkest places.

Corrie Ten Boom who survived Ravensbruck concentration camp during world war two, said, 

"There is no pit so deep 

that God's love is not deeper still". 

                                                  Corrie Ten Boom.

The apostle Paul who knew about suffering for being a believer in Christ Jesus, wrote,

"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 11-13.

I don’t know why God lets us go through hard times. But I do know that in those hard times and in the good times. God is with us. 

For me there is one verse that has encouraged me, especially in the hard times. It reads,

"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.

We may not know why we are going through tough times but we do know if we keep trusting in God He will bring us through it.

Please think about it.

About your enemies and Persecutors

  About your enemies and persecutors

Jesus said,

"You have heard that it was said,

 ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.'  

But I tell you: 

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,..." 

                                                                                         Matthew 5:43,44.

What Jesus is saying here can be a daunting task, especially if you are under persecution. When I read this portion of scripture. I think of those Christians around the world that have had to leave their homes, towns and villages. Even their families because they believe in Jesus. 

Some believers are forced into refugee and internal displacement camps because of the persecution they are enduring.

Yet to them and indeed all true believers in Christ Jesus, Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

The late American civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King jr. . A man who knew what persecution was said,

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jesus while hanging on the cross said,

“Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."...Luke 23:34

Jesus knew what persecution was and yet as He was hanging on the cross, He asked God the Father to forgive to forgive his persecutors. The men that had nailed Him to the cross.

The apostle John wrote,

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16.

Do you love your enemies? Do you pray for those who persecute you?

Please think about it.

The same as Christ Jesus

 The same as Christ Jesus

The apostle Paul writes,

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8.

What kind of attitude to you have? Are you proud of who you are? Are you proud of your position in life. Are you proud of your position in the church you attend? Do you consider yourself to important to do the menial tasks around the church. Things like cleaning the toilets. Mopping the floors or taking out the garbage?

When people look at you do they see a humble person? Do you have a servants heart?

Jesus did. Jesus was God. Yet He as the apostle Paul notes, he made himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant. Being obedient to death on the cross.

This according to the apostle Paul is how we should be. Our attitude should be like Jesus’. One of humility willing to do whatever we need to, to help in the furtherance of God’s kingdom.

Take a few moments now. Pray and ask God to show you if you are truly humble or not.

Please think about it.

To be in the multitude

  To be in the Multitude

In the book of Revelations the apostle John is given a glimpse of heaven. John states,

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  

And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Revelations 7:9,10.

What John says here to me is incredible. “A great multitude” from every nation, tribe, people and language bowing before Jesus the Lamb of God.

And they are crying out “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb”

For me personally that is one place I’d like to be. Standing before God praising Him.

Do you want to be in that multitude praising God?

Please think about it.

Let your requests be known

Let your requests be known

The apostle Paul writes,

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  

This is good, and pleases God our Saviour,...” 1 Timothy 2:1-3.

As believers we are called to pray for everyone. Everyone from kings, and those in authority to our family, friends and neighbours.

Doing so for many may be hard. Especially when it comes to those in authority we disagree with or who seem evil. Still we are called to do so.

Paul understood what he was saying. He was living under one of the worst dictators the world has seen. Yet he still said pray for those in authority.

Paul believed in prayer. Prayer can and does change things. That why Paul tells us to pray. 

Do you pray for your government leaders? Do you pray for your family, friends and neighbours? If not why not?

Please think about it.

Spotless

  Spotless

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.  2 Peter 3:13,14.

This is a call by the apostle Peter to all who believe in Christ Jesus. When Christ returns we need to do all that is humanly possible to “be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with God”

So here is my question to you. If you believe in Christ Jesus, were He to return today would He find you spotless, blameless and at peace with God?

Please think about it.

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.