Principles for living #3 Christian attributes

  Principles for living #3 Christian attributes 

The Apostle Paul writing to believers in Christ Jesus tells us,

“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 5:22,23.

Here is a simple test for anyone calling themselves a believer in Christ Jesus. Now keep in mind believers in Christ are far from perfect. We are all human with human frailties and failings. 

That being said however as believers in Christ we should be striving to be Christ like. We should be trying to make the fruits of the spirit part of our daily life. 

Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                     Francis of Assisi.

If our lives are exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, the sermon people will see in us is the Love of Jesus.

Question: When people see your life do they truly see the fruit of the Spirit of God?

Please think about it.

Principles for living #2 Deeds

 Principles for Living #2 Deeds

James the half brother of Jesus states,

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20.

There are many Christians who will tell you, you are saved by faith. That is true. However James here make it clear our faith needs to be accompanied by works. Good deeds.    If we indeed have true faith in Jesus it will spur us on to good deeds. Simply believing in God should never be enough for the believer in Christ Jesus. We need to put our faith into action.

Jesus made this clear when he said,

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  

I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-46.

If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus are you putting your faith into action?

Please think about it.

Principle to live by #1

 Principle to live by #1

There are some very important precepts within Christianity that all true believers in Christ Jesus I believe must be following. The first is Love.

Jesus said when asked the question,

“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 neighbor as yourself.’  

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

Earlier in Matthews gospel we hear Jesus taking this concept of love one step further. He said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” Matthew 5:43,44.

When it comes to Love the Apostle Paul made clear what Christian Love should be. He wrote,

“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.

What these Scriptures from the New Testament say needs no interpretation. They make clear that believers in Christ Jesus should love unconditionally, God, their neighbour, and even their enemy. And The should be praying for those who persecute them.

If you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus do you show this kind of Love to those around you?

Please think about it. 

Having Faith

 Having faith

The Psalmist writes,

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:7-10.

There is no where we can hide from God. Thus we as individuals need to make our peace with God. We need to acknowledge that he exists, and that takes faith. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

"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 that is the key. For having faith in anything, especially someone or something we can’t see is very hard. 

Question, Do you have faith that God exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him?

Please think about it.

From Ecclesiastes

 From Ecclesiastes 

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read these four statements,

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9

"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

"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.

Is this not true? Think about it? The richest and poorest people on the planet will one day stand before God, equal. All of their earthly possessions divided among others.

The only thing they will have when they stand before God is their faith and the deeds they have done. And as the writer states,

“...God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

When you stand before God what will He say about you?

Please think about it.

Defend

 Defend

In the book of proverbs we read,

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8,9.

This is a simple truth God wants all believers to follow. To the extent we are able we are to speak up, 

“for the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves, 

for the rights of all who are destitute”

Have you ever done this? Are you as a believer in Christ Jesus willing to do this?

Please think about it.

Nine do nots

  Nine do nots 

In the book of Exodus we read,

1 "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

2 "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

3And do not show favouritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

4 "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.

5 if you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load do no leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

6 "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

7 have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.

8 "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

9"Do not oppress the foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be a foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. Exodus 23:1-9.

Here in the book of Exodus we have made clear to us what we are not to do in nine verses. Look carefully through it and ask yourself “am I doing any of them?”

Please think about it.

Teaching your child

  Teaching your child

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“Train a child in the way he should go, 

and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

                                                                         Proverbs 22:6

Our Children are our future. Thus it is important that we give them a moral and ethical compass from the earliest possible age.

Now while the Talmud is not a Christian book. What it says does aline with Christian belief. In the Talmud we read,

“Whoever teaches his son teaches not alone his son but also his son's son, and so on to the end of generations.” The Talmud.

So if you claim to be Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus what are you teaching your children?

Please think about it.

Statutes

 Statutes 

The Psalmist writes,

"Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right. 

The statutes you have laid down are righteous; 

they are fully trustworthy." 

                                              Psalm 119:37,38 

I found this definition of statutes on the internet that clearly defines what the word statutes means in the Bible. It reads

“In the Bible, "statutes" refer to divine decrees, laws, or ordinances established by God to guide the moral, civil, and ceremonial conduct of His people...”

God has, I believe layed in our hart and mind his moral code. The ten commandments being the most obvious. It is a code every believer in God, in Christ Jesus is asked to follow. For by doing so society is a better place. 

When these Gods statutes are violated, society falls into abyss. An extreme example being the second world war were evil men rose to destroy society. Murdering an estimated fifty to sixty million men women and children, soldiers and civilians.

Jesus said,

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13.

As Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus it is our job to uphold Gods statutes. To be salt that preserves society. We do this by livinga life that shows love and understanding even to our enemies.

Please think about it.

I believe in God

  I believe in God

In the book of Genesis we read,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1.

Albert Einstein one of the greatest scientist ever to live made an interesting statement. He said,

“Look deep into nature, 

and then you will understand everything better.”

                                                                 Albert Einstein

The psalmist writing several millenniums  before Einstein’s birth wrote,

“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.

I have always been of the opinion that science done correctly will show there is a creator behind it all. And science seems to be heading in that direction.

Scientist are looking into nature. They are seeing that everything from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles have all come together to allow life as we know it here on earth to exist.

To me that speaks of a creator.

Einstein noted,

“Human beings vegetables  or cosmic dust. 

We all dance to a mysterious tune, 

intoned in the distance by an invisible player.”

                                                              Albert Einstein.

I don’t know whether or not Einstein believed in God. I do know that his statement about we all being cosmic dust, dancing to a tune played an invisible player is true. 

The Bible tells me,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.

In other words God created the very cosmic dust that makes up the Earth the Universe and Everything in it. 

God is that “invisible player” Einstein spoke of.

Mankind is God’s creation. That being said God in making mankind did not make robots. He made individuals with a freewill to do as they wish.

That includes the right to believe in God or not to believe in Him. I and billions of people like me believe God exists.

I believe in God not out of blind faith. I believe in God because of what I see around me. I have looked at what the Bible says and what science says and find no contradiction. Both point to a creator.

The choice however is up to you. Each individual must decide what they believe and ultimately live with the consequence of their decision.

Please think about it.   

Not cleverly invented stories

  Not cleverly invented stories

The apostle Peter wrote,

“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  

For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." 2 Peter 1:19-18.

Here we have the apostle Peter one of Christ’s closest followers. He had followed Jesus for the entirety of his ministry. He had seen the miracles, and the healings. He knew Jesus intimately.  That’s why he could say he did not follow “cleverly invented stories”. As could all of Christs apostles.

Peter wrote these words within the lifetime of people who knew Jesus. So him propagating such a lie would raise alarm bells.

In fact if any of the apostles said things that were not true it would push people away from Christ. The exact opposite to what they wanted to do. 

Further more it would be the biggest lie of all time as over two billion people today believe Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh. The saviour of all who would believe in Him.

Do you believe in God and the Salvation that comes from Jesus?

Please think about it. 

Dead or Alive?

  Dead or Alive?

“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.

It is imperative that those of us use the wealth we have to help the poor and there are many individuals around the world who do just that. Donating large amounts of their wealth to charities that help the poor and less fortunate.

This story is a warning to those who horde their wealth. Who have no regard for the poor and less fortunate. 

Yes we are saved through faith in Christ Jesus. That being said, in the book of James we read,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his 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 my question to you dear reader is, Is your faith dead or alive?

Please think about it.