Delight in the Lord

Delight in the Lord
The Psalmist writes,

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

 or stand in the way of sinners 

or sit in the seat of mockers. 

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, 

and on his law he meditates day and night.” 

                                                      Psalm 1:1,2.

Five Questions,
1. Do you walk in the counsel of the wicked?
2. Do you stand in the way or sinners?
3. Do you sit in the seat of mockers?
4. Do you delight in the Law of the Lord?
5. Do you meditate on God’s laws day and night?
It is important for believers in Christ to delight in the law of the Lord. To meditate on it as often as we can. To understand what it means.
Christianity, true Christianity is a way of life that honours God in word and deed. We can only do that if we are studying it.
The apostle Paul writing to Timothy wrote,
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17.
Paul emphasized to Timothy,
“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.
Another thing that cannot happen if you are not meditating on the word of God.
So the question becomes are you meditating on God’s word?
Please think about it.

A Poached Egg

A Poached Egg?
Who do you think Jesus is? It is a question all upon hearing about Jesus must decide for themselves.
The Bible makes several claims about Jesus. John’s gospel records,
“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....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14.
Simply put Jesus is God. He created the heavens and the earth. He then when the time was right came into the world he created. To show man the way to heaven.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3 
Jesus is the exact representation of God. It is Jesus who provides purification for our sins.
John’s gospel records this conversation between Martha and Jesus,
“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.
Matthew’s gospel records,
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16.
From these quotes it is clear to see what believers in Jesus believed him to be, God incarnate, the Messiah, The Son of God.
But what of those outside the bible
Flavius Josephus, who lived until 98 A.D., was a Romanized Jewish historian. He wrote books on Jewish history for the Roman people. In his book, Jewish Antiquities, he made references to Jesus. In one reference he wrote:
“About this time arose Jesus, a wise man, who did good deeds and whose virtues were recognized. And many Jews and people of other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. However, those who became his disciples preached his doctrine. They related that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Perhaps he was the Messiah in connection with whom the prophets foretold wonders.” [Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, XVIII 3.2]
Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor from 361-363 A.D. an adversary of Christianity. In his work against Christianity wrote,
“Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.”
But at the end of his life was forced to say:
“Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”
H. G. Wells, British writer/historian, (1866-1946) wrote.
When asked which person left the most permanent impression on history, he replied that judging a person’s greatness by historical standards:“By this test, Jesus stands first.”
“I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”
“Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.”
Kenneth Scott Latourette, former President of American Historic Society
In A History of Christianity wrote,
“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many people and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount.”
“As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. The influence appears to be mounting.”
“No other life lived on this planet has so widely and deeply affected mankind.”
C.S. Lewis, writing in Mere Christianity states,
“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.” 
Thus the question to you the reader is, who do you think Jesus is, a good man, prophet, preacher, lunatic, poached egg or the Son of God Saviour of mankind?
Please think about it.

If I have not Love

If I have not Love
The apostle Paul wrote,

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, 

but have not love, 

I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,

 and if I have a faith that can move mountains, 

but have not love, 

I am nothing.  

If I give all I possess to the poor 

and surrender my body to the flames, 

but have not love, 

I gain nothing.” 

                                                                   1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
“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.
John Wesley the great evangelist said,

“Do all the good you can,

By any means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

                            John Wesley.

Do you do all the good you can. Do you show unconditional love to those around you? If you claim to be a Christian you can do no less.
Please think about it.

Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus
John’s gospel records this conversation between Jesus and Martha.
“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.
Matthews gospel records this conversation between Peter and Jesus,
"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Matthew 16:13-16.
For me a Christian for over forty years now I believe this is the most important question anyone who hears about Jesus must answer.
C. S. Lewis writing about Jesus in his book Mere Christianity makes this point,
“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
I agree with Lewis. Do you?
Please think about it.

Sometimes no matter what

Sometimes no matter what
Jesus said,
He who has ears, let him hear.
“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 
“ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’  
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’  
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”Matthew 11:15-19.
Jesus here speaking to the criticism of the religious leaders of the day compares himself with John the Baptist. John and Jesus were quite different in their styles of preaching.
John wore clothing made of camel hair with a leather belt, and ate locust and wild honey. He called people to repent and be baptized.
By contrast Jesus was the norm for the day. He dressed normally, attended parties and weddings. Jesus also called people to repentance while at the same time sitting down with anyone who would listen to him.
Both men were doing the will of God but it was a no win situation with respect to the religious authorities of the day. As Jesus put it,
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”“.
From this example it is clear that sometimes no matter how you present the message of salvation you will be criticized.
The same is true today as it was in the day of Jesus and John.
Today we have a myriad of churches with different styles and ways of presenting the gospel yet people will not even consider the message of Christ.
The key for the believer in Christ however is this. To do what 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.
We are to present the gospel of Christ in love. In whatever way we can. It is then up to the believer to do with it as he or she wishes.
Are you?
Please think about it.

An Apostles Sermon

An Apostles Sermon
The apostle Paul while in Athens spoke a sermon that is as relevant today as it was back then. The book of acts records,
“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.   Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”  
(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  
At that, Paul left the Council.  
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others”Acts 17:17-34.
The reactions of the Athenians is the same cross section of reactions all people have when confronted with Jesus. Some sneer and dismiss what is being said as nonsense, some want to hear more and some believe.
So the question becomes which group do you fit into?
Please think about it.

Pure Faith

Pure Faith
The gospel of James states,
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27.
If there is one thing that upsets me is it’s when people calling themselves Christian do things that are morally and spiritually wrong.
Mahatma Gandhi said,

“Jesus is ideal and wonderful, 

but you Christians 

- you are not like him.”

                                  Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi seen the worst in man during British colonial rule in India. He seen men that claimed to be Christians do atrocious things to people.
As I write this Canada is coming to grips with it’s history of treating native children atrociously in residential schools. Many of the atrocities done by people calling themselves Christians.
Such atrocities done in the name of Christ did not start in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. In centuries past the Crusaders supposedly doing the will of God, from all over the world slaughtered thousands.
Today people calling themselves Christians are at the very least speaking harshly against people of other faiths and ways of life.
Such people to my mind are not Christians. If they are, they are by the slimmest of margins and are very misguided.
Harper Lee in her book To Kill a Mocking bird said,
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)...” Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Jesus made things clear when it comes to who is a Christian when 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.  
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
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!’” Matthew 7:15-23.
We as true believers in Jesus Christ need to be speaking out against people who are not presenting the word of God correctly. We need to be correcting them. Following the command of the Apostle Paul who said,
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.” 1Corinthians 5:12,13
We need to be doing this while at the same time showing the love of God to those around us be they Christians or not.
We need to be following the example of Jesus, remembering His words when he 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.
We need to remember the words of Jesus who said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17
  Please think about it.

Helping the Poor

Helping the poor
The book of Leviticus tells us.
“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19: 9,10.
God cares for everyone. Even in ancient times when there was no social welfare state God provided. He called on farmers not to go over their vineyards a second time. He tells them not to reap to the very edges of their field. They were to leave them for the poor.
Time and time again we see throughout scripture God tells us to look after our fellow man.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13.
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.
These truths are universal be you a believer in Christ or not. It is the humane thing to do.
It is something we must impress on our children.
It is something we must insist our Governments do. After all what better way to spend the taxes people give the government than on the people themselves.
Jesus made a very important statement when He 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.
Please think about it.

Warning to the Wealthy

Warning to the Wealthy
The Epistle of James states,
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.   Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  
You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.” James 5:1-6.
Here is a warning to the wealthy about their actions.
Now lets make it clear here the apostle Paul states,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.
Note it is the love of money that can cause problems. Money is an inanimate object it is neither good nor evil in and of itself. It is how it is used that cause the problem.
The warning James is making here is to tell the wealthy to live and use your wealth in a moral way. Not to take advantage of those who work for you or come in contact with you.
Many years ago when I was considering going into business a very wise person told me,
    “when you go into business make sure you can pay those who work for you a living wage. Not the minimum wage.”
 He noted the minimum wage was only put in place because some in the business owners would not without being forced pay even a subsistence wage which is what my friend believed minimum wage to be.
He noted again wisely that it was those who worked for the business owner who were the ones who helped make the business owner wealthy. That they should be rewarded for their labours even if it meant earning a little less profit.
James is telling all wealthy believers in Christ and for that matter everyone to treat their employees in a moral and ethical way.
This is what James is telling believers. He is warning them that while earthly judges may not judge them God will.
Please think about it.

You are a mist

You are a mist.
The Epistle of James notes

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. 

What is your life? 

You are a mist that appears for a little while 

and then vanishes.”

                                     James 4:14

Isaiah the Prophet stated,

“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.

If you think about it what James is saying is true. We are a mist. We are like the prophet Isaiah said grass. All the glory of mankind is like the flower of the field.
We like grass eventually wither and all our accomplishments all our glory falls, fades away to nothing.
I am told most people are born die and conduct all their lives within fifty to a hundred kilometres of where they are born. When they pass away most are commemorated with is a small grave plot in a cemetery. Their names and accomplishments eventually fading from living memory.
Our lives however do not end when our physical body dies. We continue on throughout eternity. Where we will spend that eternity however is up to us in this life.
The American evangelist Tony Campolo once noted,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?” Tony Campolo.
If Christians are correct, and I as a Christian believe we are, we get to heaven through belief in Jesus Christ who is God incarnate.
The apostle John tells us,
“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....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14,
As Christians we believe what the apostle John quotes Jesus as saying,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
Christians believe what the writer of Hebrews tells us,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
If what we as Christians believe is not true we have nothing to fear with respect to eternity. For if God does not exist we have simply lived a good life.
If on the other hand we are right then the implications for those who do not believe have eternal implications.
Please think about it.

Include God

Include God
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  
Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  
As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.  
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:13-17.
The letter of James like all of the Bible is written to believers. And believers in their planning should include God. As James notes we should be saying,
“If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  
We should not be bragging about our plans because even the best laid plans of man can fall apart in an instant. We do not know what the day or even the next hour brings. That is why we should not brag.
Bragging about how much money or profit we are going to make according to James is evil. If we boast it should be in the name of the Lord.
We must remember it is the Lord who made us. That it is He who should be directing our paths in all that we do.
If you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus do you include the Lord in all that you do?
Please think about it.

Of Christians and Judgement

Of Christians and Judgement
The epistle of James records,
“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 neighbour?” James 4:11,12.
These words echo the words of Jesus and the apostle Paul.
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.
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 believers in Christ have no right to judge others especially when it comes to where a person will spend eternity.
The only people we have the right to judge are those who claim to be Christians, and then only to ensure that they are teaching the word of God correctly.
Jesus told us clearly,

“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.

So if you do not want people judging you. You should not judge others.
Please think about it.