Your life and your lifestyle

 Your life and your lifestyle

The Psalmist writes,

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4.

If you claim to be a Christian do you truly seek to dwell in the house of the Lord forever?

What is more important to you, the things of this world or the things of God?

Take a good look at your life. What is your life and lifestyle telling others? 

When others see your life do they see that you put God first?

Please think about it.

Where will you place your bet?

  Where will you place your bet?

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.

I try not to debate the existence of God. For me God exists and that’s all there is to it. If you are willing, you can find proof about the existence of God through science. There are many Nobel prize winners in various areas of science that believe in God because of the work they have done in science.

William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics said,

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

Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics Nobel prize winner in physics

"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.

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." Dr. Arno Penzias

The list goes on and on.

That being said. I can quote from hundreds of well educated, brilliant men and women who believe in God and it wont matter if you the reader do not believe in God. 

Jesus speaking about himself gives us both hope and a warning when he 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

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.

Where will you place your bet?

Please think about it.

What's done for Christ

  What's done for Christ

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

“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.

In the past year I have seen several people I know pass into eternity. These were godly people whom I am certain went to heaven. That being said.

I look at all they owned. Their possessions on this earth. All are no longer theirs. They have been dispersed among family, friends and even in some cases strangers. Even the words they have spoken and the deeds they have done will one day be forgotten by most if not all people.

That being said there is an old saying that states, 

“I have one life it will soon be passed,

 only what’s done for Christ will last.”

                                                                Author unknown 

Most people will never be well known. Most people will never present what they believe to large crowds. Nor will the words they write be read by millions. Most people will live there life in quiet obscurity.

That being said, those people can tell the people around them about God and the Salvation that comes through His One and Only Son Christ Jesus. Which is all God requires of all who love Him.

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus are you telling those around you that you about the saving grace that comes from Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Your love must be sincere

  You must be sincere

The apostle Paul writes,

"Love must be sincere. 

Hate what is evil; 

cling to what is good.  

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. 

Honour one another above yourselves." 

                                                                    Romans 12:9,10.

When people, especially those outside the church see you, do they see that the love you have is sincere?

As Christians, believers in Christ Jesus, we cannot do anything halfheartedly. We must be sincere in everything we do. That is especially true when it comes to love. We must love as God loved. Unconditionally.

Is you love unconditional? Are you devoted to other Christians in brotherly love? Do you honour others above yourself?

Please think about it. 

True Christian Love

 True Christian Love

Jesus said,

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 

Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36-40

So what is love?

The apostle Paul writes,

"Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, 

always trusts, 

always hopes, 

always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.

 But the greatest of these is love."  

                                                                     1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

If you call yourself a Christian and are not loving people this way, you must ask yourself, am I truly loving as Christ loved?. Is the Love of God truly in my heart?

Please think about it.

Fact Check

  Fact Check

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24: 14,15.

This is a message the church today needs to listen to. 

Over the years the church has sadly gained a lot of spiritual and material baggage God never intended it to have. As such we must take care and assess whether or not the Church congregation or denomination is truly teaching the word of God. We must ask the question whether or not the evangelist or pastor we support is truly teaching the word of God.

The apostle Paul writes,

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4.

We are in the time Paul is talking about. As such we need study not just read the Bible. We should never simply take the word of any man or woman who is teaching the word of God. We should be asking ourselves “are they teaching sound doctrine?”

If you claim to be a Christian, have you ever fact checked what the pastor or evangelist you listen to? If not why not?

Please think about it.

As for me and my house

 As for me and my house

In the book of Isaiah we read,

“Give attention to me, my people, 

and give ear to me, my nation;

for a law will go out from me,

and I will set my justice for a light ot the peoples.

My righteousness draws near,

my salvation has gone out,

and my arms will judge the peoples;

the coastlands hope for me,

and for my arm they wait.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

and look at the earth beneath;

for the heavens vanish like smoke,

the earth will wear out like garments,

and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;

but my salvation will be forever,

and my righteousness will never be dismayed.”  

                                                                    Isaiah 51:4-6

One commentator I read said this about the above passage,

“...the truth of the Lord is going out to the nations with a saving power that will outlast the universe.”

The late American civil rights leader once said in a prayer,

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

God has sent his word throughout the world. Thus everyone who hears the word must make a decision as to believe what God tells us in Bible or not.

This world will not last forever. We however are crated to last forever. As a result we must decide where we will spend eternity.

As for me personally I like what Joshua said,

"...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15b.

Will you serve the LORD?

Please think about it.

A Basic Christian Belief

  A Basic Christian belief

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.

The apostle Paul makes it very clear how you get to heaven.

“Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.”

As a result anyone reading this has a choice. Is what the apostle Paul writing true of false?

The choice is yours.

Please think about it.

A lot to think about

  A Lot to think about

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.

The way I see it we cannot hope to reach God even by doing good deeds. The prophet Isaiah wrote,

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6.

God knew this. That is why He reached down from heaven and sent His One and Only Son Jesus Christ to live a perfect life and die for our sins.

I know it sounds foolish. Even the apostle Paul notes,

"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." 1Corinthians 1:18.

But then Gods ways are not our ways.

For the Christian those who truly believe in Christ Jesus the only way we get to heaven is by faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,

"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.

John the Baptist states,

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36.

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.

If what John the Baptist said is not true then no one has anything to fear. That being said. If they are right then at the very least you have a lot to think about.

Please think about it.

A Thorn in the flesh

  A thorn in the flesh

The apostle Paul writes,

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."     Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2Corinthians 12:7-10.

Sadly I’ve heard many preachers throughout the years say God wants you to be “healthy, happy and wealthy.”

While God wants the best for us, He does let us go through difficult time. Case in point the scripture above penned by the apostle Paul who had “a thorn in the flesh.”.

We are not told what it was and that is unimportant. What is important here is that the apostle Paul had asked God three times to take away the thorn. And God made it clear it was His (Gods) grace that was sufficient for Paul. That God’s power was made perfect in weakness.

It is especially in those times when we are at our weakness that we should be drawing close to God. Asking God for help and insight as to what we can learn from our hardships.

Please think about it.

Do your best for God

  Do your best for God

The apostle Paul writes,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

Here is a simple question. 

If you consider yourself a true Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus.

Are you doing your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed? A person who correctly handles the word of truth?

Please think about it.

A Christian duty to love

A Christian duty to love

The apostle John writes,

"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.  

And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.  

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 1:4-6 

We as believers in Christ Jesus are told to walk in love. Jesus said,

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12.

That means loving unconditionally.

While we may not always agree with others as believers in Christ we are called to love even our enemies. Jesus said,

"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.... 

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."Luke 6:27,28,31,36 

The late American civil rights leader Martin Luther King jr. once said,

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

                                                                                   Martin Luther King, Jr.

So my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian is, Do you truly Love?

Please think about it.