Be Holy

Be Holy
Peter the apostle wrote,
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy. 1 Peter 1:13-16.
Here is a simple principle all Christians need to understand. As believers in Christ we are called to be holy.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men 

and to be holy; 

without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

                           Hebrews 12:14.

Peter tells us how we can be holy. He states,
“...prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires...”
To be holy is to love God and your fellow man unconditionally. It is doing to others what you would want them to do to you.
It is following the words of Jesus who said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12
Jesus who when asked,
“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
It is doing what Jesus called us to do when 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
It is living a life in word and deed that points all people to God.
If you claim to be a follower of Christ, are you living such a life?
Please think about it.

Deeds

Deeds
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“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.” James 2:14-19.
If you claim to be Christian you must do good deeds. It is part of our faith. Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.
The apostle Peter writes,
“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 2:11,12.
We live in deeds. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus people will see Jesus and God through the lense of our deeds.
Ben Zion Bosker wrote a delightful story that illustrates this, called “The Rose Talked Back. It reads,
“The man sweeping the synagogue paused for a moment.  He looked at the flowers lying about in disorder, ‘What waste!’  He said too himself.  Those roses had adorned the pulpit at a wedding an hour before.  Now all was over and they were waiting to be discarded.
The attendant leaning on his sweeper was lost in thought when suddenly he heard a strange sound.  One of the roses replied to him.
‘Do you call this a waste?” the flower protested, ‘What is life anyway, yours or mine, but a means of service?  My mission was to create some fragrance and beauty, and when I have fulfilled it my life has not been wasted.  And what greater privilege is there than to adorn a bride’s way to her beloved, what greater privilege than to help glorify the moment when a bride and groom seal their faith in each other by entering the covenant of marriage?’
Our little flower paused for a moment too watch the man’s face, and then continued her discourse.
‘Roses are like people.  They live in deeds, not in time.  My glory was but for a brief hour, but you should have seen the joy in the bride’s eye.  I like to believe that I had something to do with it, by creating a suitable setting for the moment of her supreme happiness.  So don’t grieve for me.  My life has been worthwhile.
Having spoken her little piece, the rose was once more silent.  The attendant, startled from his reverie and a little wiser, pushed the sweeper again and continued with his work.”  Ben Zion Bokser
When people see your deeds what do they see?
Do they see love and understanding?
Do they see Christ in your life?
Or do they see something else.
Francis of Assisi said,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                 Francis of Assisi

Please think about it.

Bet your life

Bet your life
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
On the Wall of my office is a drawing by Leighton Jones it’s a caricature of a bookie. It’s called the honest bookie. As I looked at it I wondered how many people gamble every day with their lives. And I’m not talking about dare devils or people engaged in dangerous work or risk takers. I’m talking about the average person.
We all know we will not get out of this life alive. The ultimate statistic tells us the day your born is the day you move inevitably toward your passing from this life. Most think little of it. Still it doesn’t take away the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”
Some say God does not exist. Many will tell you that if your good outweighs your bad you will go to heaven. But how do you know if your good will outweigh your bad by God’s standard?
As a Christian I believe you can know here and now where you will spend eternity.
C. S. Lewis put it this way,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  C.S. Lewis.
The apostle Paul said,
“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.
It is by the grace of God we get to heaven.
Christians believe God knowing mans shortcomings reached down in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.
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.
I know there are people out there who do not believe a word I have written. I respect their beliefs. I respect them because God has given each person a free will. That freewill extends to believing in God or not.
The question however is are you sure in your belief?
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 are you placing your wager?
Please think about it.

Who do you think Jesus is?

Who do you think Jesus is?
Luke’s Gospel records Simeon the prophet, upon seeing the infant Jesus, as saying,
“Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:28-32
Jesus is the most influential person in all of history.
William Durant, popular American modern historian and philosopher (1885-1981) When asked what he felt the apex of history was he replied, “the three years that Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth.” 
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France said of Jesus,
"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.
I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. 
Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.” Napoleon Bonaparte
What these men say of Jesus is true.
The Apostle John states,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.... 
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:1-4,10-13.
Christians believe Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh. God who entered this world in human form to show mankind the way to heaven.
However believing this takes faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“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

Thus the choice is yours.
Who do you think Jesus is?
Think about it.

Infidel and Libertine

Infidel and Libertine
The apostle Paul wrote,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”1Timothy 1:15,16
I believe it is in the church where John Newton the author of the beloved hymn Amazing grace preached much of his life, is a plaque with this inscription.
“John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”
Above I’ve quoted from two men both giants in the history of Christianity, the apostle Paul and John Newton.
Although born a millennium and a half plus apart both had the same thing to tell.
Paul was a persecutor of Christians. Who initially put believers in prison. Yet Christ reached down to Paul and changed his life. This humbled Paul. Thus Paul could write, that he was the worst of sinners. That he was shown mercy so that,...
Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 
John Newton was a slave trader who reportedly treated slaves brutally and forced himself on the female slaves. A man whom God reached down to and changed his life. A man who in the latter years of his life, reportedly told a friend
“My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a Great Saviour.”
I think especially today here in North America many calling themselves Christians within our congregations and denominations, do not acknowledge they are sinners. They certainly do not think they are the worst of sinners.
Jesus tells this parable,
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14.
Many calling themselves Christians are not humble. They consciously or subconsciously think they have all the answers. They consider themself righteous in the sight of God simply because they have confessed their sins to God.
They call to other believers in Christ and indeed the secular world around them to repent of their sins. To conform to Christian values. Telling them if they don’t they are going to hell.
In doing so they pass judgement without mercy on those around them, quite often without realizing it.
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:12,13.
We must especially when dealing with the world around us remember at one time we were “the worst of sinners” in need of God’s Saving Grace. That we in our day to day lives fall short of God’s ideal for our lives and people around us see that.
We must remember that the world is watching us. We must remember they will not listen to anyone who is judging them. That I believe is why the apostle Paul wrote,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. 
“Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
We as true believers in Christ must at all times be humble. To remember where we have come from.
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?”James 4:6-12.
If we like the apostle Paul and John Newton remember every day that we at one time were the worst of sinners in need of Christ’s Saving Grace we will I believe be able to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ far better.
Billy Graham the great American Evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love, 

                           Billy Graham.

Jesus said,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
And the best way I feel we can do this is if we are humble of heart.
Please think about it.

Watch Out

Watch out
Jesus said,
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:15-18
He went on to say,
“Many will say to me  on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew7:22,23
The Apostle Paul states,
“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
As Christians we need to be educated in our faith. We need to study the word or God. We need to know what we believe in and why we believe it. Sadly many Christians do not know why they believe what they believe.
Many Christians take a pastor or evangelist at face value believing him or her simply because they have a Bible in hand and are saying things that sound good.
We should not be doing that. Everyone who claims to be a minister, a priest, and evangelist needs to be checked out.
My life as a follower of Jesus spans forty plus years now. In that time I have seen many false teachers arise. I have seen many evangelist, priests, bishops, and pastors fall into disrepute. Yet sadly especially it seems in the evangelical community there are still people taking advantage of Christians by stringing a few scriptures together that sound good.
I for one cannot emphasise enough the need for individual Christians to study the Bible. To not be afraid to check out what a minister or evangelist says.
Yes there are going to be differences of opinion on some points within the Christian community. However the major points cannot be compromised.
The apostles creed while not written by an apostle of Jesus presents to all what true Christians believe it states,
1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth
2. I believe in Jesus Christ God’s on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.
3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary
4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.
5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.
6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost
9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,
10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.
11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.
12. I believe in life everlasting.   
These are biblical based beliefs that all Christians agree to. I believe you must believe what is said here in order to be a true Christian.
Still beware. Even if a preacher says they believe in this one still has to be careful. It’s easy to give lip service to any belief.
What one needs to do is check what the preacher is saying against the Bible. Look at their ministry is it truly giving glory to God? Especially if money is involved is he and his ministry correctly handling any donations given to it?
Is the person living a life in line with the teaching of Jesus.
Both we as individuals and the ministers we support should be taking to heart the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy that states,
“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. 2Timothy 2:15.
Please think about it. 

The Love of Christ Compels us

The Love of Christ Compels us
The apostle Paul writes,
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  
And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:14-17.
Here is something important to note. The apostle Paul says,
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view...” 2Corinthians 5:16b.
As Christians it is easy to view people from a worldly point of view, especially if we disagree with their religion, their lifestyle or their morals.
However we are told by Paul not to do this. He says “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view...”
When God sent Christ into this world he did so out of love. He knew by nature man could not live a life good enough to stand before Him.
When Jesus was in this world he did not look on the sins of the people around him. Jesus sat with Tax collectors, the Samaritan woman, Romans, and others deemed to be sinners by the religious leaders of the day.
The apostle Paul as he traveled around the Roman world did not speak out against the sin outside his own faith. He even wrote,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
 Jesus, the apostle Paul and indeed all the disciples and writers of the New Testament showed the Love of God to all around them. They did not see sinners as such. Rather they seen souls in need of the redemptive Love of God through Christ Jesus.
The disciple did not go around criticising Roman laws or the practices of those outside the body of believers. They showed love towards them. In doing so within a century of the birth of Jesus the message of Christ had spread throughout the Roman empire.
Billy Graham the great American Evangelist said of those early disciples,
“The men who followed Him (Christ), were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.” Billy Graham.
The disciples kept if you will to the script. They concentrated on saving souls for Christ. They did not despite being persecuted get involved in politics. Quite the contrary the apostle Paul wrote,
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”Titus 3:1,2.
This from a man who was put to death by order of the Roman Emperor.
The Apostle Peter tells Christians,
“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 2:11,12
         The early church did this.
Pliny the Younger Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia minor writing to Emperor Trajan wanting to know what to do about Christians wrote,
"They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind...”Pliny the younger.
        Pliny couldn't it seems find anything wrong with the Christians he observed.
Jesus speaking to his disciple said,
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16.
What Jesus was saying was watch the world around you. Be shrewd in your dealings with those in the world. But above all be innocent as doves.
If you are a dove you are not aggressive you are harmless.
People are more likely to listen to what a dove is saying than what a hawk is saying.
To be a Christian is to be a dove. We should be presenting our message plainly and concisely in a nonthreatening way.
We should be presenting the Gospel of Christ out of a love for the lost. We must see the world through the eyes of Christ who love mankind so much he died for us.
Please think about it.

Created for God

Created for God
The Apostle Paul states,
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10.
As Christians we believe the above statement. We believe what the apostle John wrote when he said,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
If we are truly children of God. If we are truly followers of Jesus then we must live a life acceptable to Jesus. Acceptable to God.
The apostle Peter wrote,
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,  and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:3-11.
I believe each person who calls themselves a follower of Christ Jesus must exhibit the above qualities. We must as Peter tells us,
“to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”
Francis of Assisi wrote something all Christians should consider taking to heart. He wrote,,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

                                                             Francis of Assisi.

Please think about it.

Christians and Democracy

Christians and Democracy
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
While in Church the other day I met a man who said, “pray that President Trump”
I wasn’t surprised it was an evangelical church and many evangelicals support Trump. Also Christians should be praying for their political and religious leaders.
That being said I think what is happening in the United States at this time can serve as a lesson to Christians on how to vote world wide.
Many evangelicals in North America believe Canada and the United States have governments that are Christian based. Truth is Canada and the United States unlike England, Israel and the Arab nations have no official state religion.
While there are scripture verses carved into buildings and the ten commandments are displayed in some court houses this is more of a cultural thing dating back to the birth of the two nations.
True many of our laws here in North America are based on Jewish and Christian principles but not all are.
Also having Bible verses on buildings and laws based on Biblical principles do not make nations Christian.
The fact is we in North America live in secular democracies. While many people serving in government may go to church they are not necessarily Christian. Churches in North America have a large number of people who are not Christian. They go for many reasons, tradition, to feel good, even to look good for the evangelical voters.
Still this is a good thing, that politicians or anyone for that matter attend church as that is where they can best come into a personal relationship with God.
Now all of that being said what is a Christian to do in a secular democracy?
Keep in mind that in a secular democracy such as exists in North America we will not find a politician that lines up perfectly with what we believe. They will vote for things we as Christians disagree with.
Still I believe Christians must look at the lives of each person running for political office. Jesus referring to false prophets said something that can be applied to politicians as well. He said,
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:15-18.
Simply put in terms of a politician or for that matter anyone. You will know what the person is like by their words and deeds.
When it comes to whom you should vote for there are several Christian principles that we must look for.
1/“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
We must look at the actions of the candidate and see what they truly stand for. Are they passing legislation that they would want imposed on themselves?
To use the American example again. Would those who are wishing to repeal the affordable care act in the United States and cut millions off health care want their health care removed, especially if they couldn’t afford paying for health care out of their own pocket?
A person seeking political office should never impose things on others that they would not want imposed on themselves.
2/ Jesus when asked,
“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.
Ideally in an election this would mean supporting a candidate that is a Christian. One who love God and loves his or her neighbour unconditionally.
However in some places where there are no true Christian candidates running one needs to look to a person who by their actions shows unconditional love at the very least to their neighbour no matter who they are, their lifestyle, or what they believe. A candidate who shows genuine love for both rich and poor.
3/ The apostle John states,
         “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17.
We need to be supporting political candidates that seek to help the poor. For an elected official to help the poor costs them personally nothing. As elected officials they have the right to spend tax payers money and what better way to spend tax payers money than directly on tax payers and especially the most needy in our society?
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
“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.
Tony Campolo the American Evangelist states,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.” Tony Campolo
I personally believe it is time for everyone who considers themselves a Christian living in a democracy such as we live in here in North America, to ask the question,
“Which candidate seeking my vote is by his or her actions truly exhibiting true Christian principles whether they are Christians or not?
Please think about it.

What good is it?

What good is it?
Jesus said,

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world,

 yet forfeit his soul?”

                                  Matthew 8:36.

Someone I know is fond of saying

“life is short, 

and he who has the most toys at the end wins.”

Not exactly a true statement. In the end you have no toys.
Another quote that I read written on the inside flap of a poetry book made a more accurate statement it said,

Money.

 You can’t go anywhere without it.

But you can’t take it with you when you go.”

                                       Author unknown.

Men and women strive all their lives to acquire material wealth only to leave them to others when they die.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
Isaiah the prophet states,

“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.

This life is indeed finite. It has a beginning and an end. But our life does not end when our bodies turn to dust. That spark that is inside us. That spark that makes us who we are. The thing usually called the soul lives on throughout eternity.
The only question is where will your soul spend eternity?
It is a question I as a Christian believe you can answer here and now.
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.
It all comes down to one question everyone who hears about Jesus must ask themselves. A question Jesus asked Martha,
  Jesus speaking to Martha said,
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
Do you believe this?
Please think about it.

Sometimes

Sometimes
I believe it was Harper Lee in her book to Kill a Mockingbird who said,
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of another...”― Harper Lee.
As a Christian now for over forty years living in North America, I believe she is right. There may well be many people directed down the pathway to Hell because of what someone with a Bible in their hand has said.
A man with a bottle of whisky at worst gets himself drunk and in trouble. A man with a Bible in his hand using it wrongly can have eternal consequences for both the person and others he associates with.
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.  

Avoid godless chatter, 

because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 

2 Timothy 2:15,16

Sadly many calling themselves Christians do not follow what Paul says. Nor do they follow the words of Jesus who said,

“So in everything, do to others 

what you would have them do to you, 

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” 

Matthew 7:12

These people who claim to be Christian are in the streets, in the media and in church congregations. They are known particularly by those outside the church for their judgmental attitudes.
They from their perches in the media preach against those with different lifestyles, and beliefs. They condemn everyone who does not agree with them including Christians.
The apostle Paul wrote,

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?

 Are you not to judge those inside?  

God will judge those outside. 

“Expel the wicked man from among you.”

                                                                                   1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
Jesus said,

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others,

 you will be judged, 

and with the measure you use, 

it will be measured to you.”

                                   Matthew 7:1,2.

I like what Billy Graham the great American evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love, 

                      Billy Graham

This is something anyone who claims to be a Christian needs to remember.
As Christians we should be known for what we are for not for what we are against. We should be presenting the message of God’s love through Christ Jesus. The disciples and the first century church did this. Billy Graham said of these men and women,
“The men who followed Him (Christ), were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.” Billy Graham.
These early followers were in a society that was at least if not more diverse than our society here in North America in the twenty-first century.
It was filled with god’s of all descriptions including emperor worship. Men and women died in the arena’s for the entertainment of others. Yet the men and women of the early church did not speak out against them. Nowhere in the New Testament do we here of Jesus or the apostles speak against the secular Roman government.
True they spoke against the Jewish religious leaders but at the time they were a sect of Judaism and thus had that right.
In the first century Christians were known for what they were for Pliny the Younger Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia minor wrote to the Emperor Trajan wanting to know what to do about Christians.  It is one of the earliest known references to Christians and he describes them this way,
"They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind...”Pliny the younger.
Essentially their actions seemed harmless. Never-the-less the decision was made to persecute them and to put them to death simply because they were Christians.
The important thing here to note is from Pliny’s report they were doing nothing against the Emperor or Rome in general. They were simply put to death because of who they were.
As Christians to day people who have Bibles in our hands it is important that we present what is in it correctly to those around us.
It is important that our words and our deeds reflect that of Jesus.
The Apostle Peter writes,
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 2:11,12.
The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14
Please think about it.

Christian Obligation

Christian Obligation
“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.  
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth”1 John 3:16-18
We as Christians must love in the same way Jesus loves to the point of laying down our lives for others if necessary. We must to the extent we are able help those in need.
James the half brother of Jesus said,
“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.
We as Christians cannot simply sit by when we are in a position to help and not give help to someone in need.
I firmly believe that God will hold us accountable for not helping anyone we can help, even if it’s only offering a cup of cold water.
As Christians we have an obligation to love God, our neighbours and even our enemies.
Jesus when asked,
“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 his gospel Matthew records Jesus as saying,
“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.
The apostle Paul gives us what I believe is the perfect definition of Love when he 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 claim to be a Christian are you truly loving?
Are you doing what you can to help those in need?
Please think about it.