A duty to God

 A duty to God

The apostle Paul writes,

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."  2 Corinthians 5:20.

It is important that all who call themselves true followers of Christ Jesus. Realize that we are Gods representative to the world around us. Through our words and deeds people will judge not only us but God.

It is therefor of paramount importance that we represent God in the best possible light. 

Awhile ago there was a popular thing among young adults in particular. They would wear a bracelet that said WWJD (What would Jesus do). This is something we need to think about when we interact with the people around us.

We need to remember the words of Jesus 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.

If we remember this statement alone it will show people that we care about them and may just reach them for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Please think about it.

You, your child, and God

  You, your child and God

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.

If you consider yourself a true Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus. Are you teaching your child to follow Christ?

By that I don’t mean forcing your faith on your child. When someone does this it has been my experience that the child will rebel and turn away from God.

Training a child in the way they should go is a combination of things. First and foremost is living your faith in front of them. Your child sees everything you are doing. As a result if you are not living what you are teaching them verbally, they wont believe a word you say about your faith.

Thus the question becomes; Are you teaching your child about Christ Jesus in word and in deed?

Please think about it.

Listen you Rich

  Listen you Rich

In the book of James we read,

"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.

Let me make this statement first. Being rich is not a sin. It’s how you treat your wealth and what you do with it that it the problem. The Apostle Paul wrote,

"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.

All too often those who are wealthy take advantage of the poor and helpless. They pay poor wages, and expect loyalty.

In the book of James those who take advantage of the ordinary worker and the poor are warned that God will one day judge them. And this judgement will be far more harsh than any earthly court can impose. 

Thus my question to you who are wealthy. You who run companies big and small is; What will God say to you when you stand before Him? How will God judge you?

Please think about it.

Be Open Handed

 Be open handed.

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11

Some time ago I heard a politician we should make all those on welfare go out and get a job. I heard of one recently in the United States who wanted to eliminate social assistance.

All of this is easy to say if you’re wealthy. However there are many people in this world who either are working a jobs that pay below poverty line wages. People who have illnesses and cannot work. People who are mentally ill. And there are refugees who are not allowed to work.

Over the years I’ve met many people who live below the poverty line. I’ve met people who are on some kind of social assistance. From listening to them by far the majority of them would rather have meaningful employment with a living wage.

God loves the poor. God has made it clear that those who can should help the poor in the book of Leviticus we read,

" ‘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.

Later on in Leviticus we read

" ‘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. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' " Leviticus 23:22.

This is a command from God. It was God’s way in ancient Israel of providing for the poor.

In the Talmud we read,

"Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, "Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?"  He answered, "God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love." The Talmud.

Thus my question to you is; If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus, do you do what you can to help the poor around you?

Please think about it.

God at the Centre

  God at the centre 

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.

On Christmas day I was reminded of this scripture and how I fell short. Three of us had gone to a restaurant for Christmas dinner. The meal came and I forgot to say grace. The family behind us however did and I was impressed. That brief prayer they spoke witnessed to those around them.

If we claim to be believers in Christ Jesus God should be the centre of our lives. People should know we are Christians by our actions. 

Francis of Assisi made two important statements,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and when necessary use words.”

And

"The deeds you do may be 

the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                            Francis of Assisi.

The world is watching us. As believers in Christ Jesus we need to make Him so much a part of our lives that we worship and serve Him in a way that glorifies Him all the time without even thinking about it.

  Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Are you doing what is right?

  Are you doing what is right?

In the book of James we read,

"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbour as yourself," you are doing right."James 2:8.

That being said James goes on to say,

“But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” James 2:9.

Two phrases that are polar opposites. 

Christians are to love our neighbours as our self. While being warned that we are not to show favouritism especially toward the rich. Both rich and poor are to be considered equals. 

One commentary I read said, 

“Favouritism toward the rich breaks the Old Testament commands to treat he poor equitably (Lev.19:15; Deut. 16:19; Job 34:19) and a serious transgression of God’s law.

So how do you treat the poor?

When you see a homeless person on the street or in refugee camps do you consider them equal?

If so what are you doing to help them?

Remember it was 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.

Please think about it.

A Question answered

 A Question Answered

"With what shall I come before the Lord,

and bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my first born for my transgressions,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice and to love kindness

and to walk humbly with your God?" 

                                                   Micah 6:6-8 (ESV).

The apostle Paul states,

“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 

We cannot live a life good enough to enter heaven. All the burnt offerings are insufficient to truly cover our sins. That is why God reached down to us through His one and Only Son Jesus Christ. 

It is only through the grace of God that we are saved.

The apostle Peter telling us,

Peter said,

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" Acts 2:21

The apostle Paul making it clear,

"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.

Do you believe in God? 

Do you believe in the saving grace that comes through belief in Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Praise be to God

  Praise be to God

The apostle Peter writes,

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you” 1Peter 1:3-4.

I am a Christian. I make no excuses. I believe the Bible and all that is said in it. I believe in Jesus and the fact that He paid the price for my sins on the cross. Thus I can say with the apostle Peter,

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you” 1Peter 1:3-4.

Can you say this?

Please think about it.

Why He Came

  Why He Came

The Apostle John referring to Jesus as "the Word", 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....

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.

Christians believe Jesus is God incarnate.

We believe that by becoming flesh. By coming into this world as a child. Jesus experienced first hand what it was to be human. Jesus understood what it was to grow up in an average family. He attended parties, had friends. He even experienced what it was like to walk in the rain. Feel the sun on his face. 

Further more he knew what it was like to suffer at the hands of evil men and die in an horrendous way on a Roman cross.

But death did not hold him scripture tells us he rose again walked on the earth for awhile before ascending to heaven where He will one day judge the world.  

Thus when anyone stands before God on the day of judgement they can never say you don’t know what it is like to be human, because He does.

The New Testament is clear as to why Jesus came into this world. The apostle John writing, 

"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.

Thus the question remains; Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

A Mans Ways

  A mans ways

The writer of Proverbs states,

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, 

and he examines all his paths." 

                                                        Proverbs 5:21.

That says it all. God knows about everything we do and why we do it. 

Question:

When God examines your ways, what will He say?

Please think about it.

We need to

  We need to

The Psalmist writes,

"I will praise you, O LORD, 

with all my heart; before the "gods" 

I will sing your praise.”

                                        Psalm 138:1.

I believe more than ever those who believe in God. Those who believe in Christ Jesus need to be seen to Praise God.

We as believers need to be lifting up Gods name and telling those around us of His love and compassion.

We need to be saying to the world,

“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 if you claim to be a Christian, think about it. 

Your Future

  Your Future 

The apostle Paul writes,

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known" 1 Corinthians 13:12.

Ancient mirrors were made from polished metal such as bronze as a result your reflection was very dim. Viewable but cloudy.

Paul uses this analogy to tell his readers that at the moment when it comes to heaven we see it dimly. We know it’s there and the scriptures in human terms explains what heaven is like. It is however a shadowy depiction of what it really is.

It is not until we finally get to heaven that we will fully see it in all its magnificence. 

The question however is, is heaven in your future?

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.

Jesus also said,

..."I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6.

This is what Christians believe. This is what true followers of Christ Jesus believe. 

If we are wrong then no one needs to worry. If on the other hand we are right then at the very least people should be very concerned.

Please think about it.