God is there

God is there

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 depth, 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.

Here is something we as believers must always remember. No matter where we are God is there for us. God is there to guide us in the best of times and in the worst of times.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

Maker of heaven earth and sea

 Maker of heaven earth and sea

In the book of Psalms we read,

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever.” Psalm 146:5,6.

Are you blessed? Do you truly believe in the Lord God maker of heaven earth, sea and everything in them?

The apostle Paul writes,

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:11-13 

Again I ask do you truly believe in the Lord God Almighty maker of heaven and earth?

Please think about it.

I want you to know

 I Want you to know

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles," 1Corinthians 15:1-7.

When the apostle Paul wrote these words there were people within living memory who experienced seeing Jesus after his resurrection. 

The apostle Peter stated,

“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 honor 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.

Jesus for those who believe in him is the Son of God the Saviour of all who would believe in him and the apostles truly believed this.

Thus the choice in yours. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the saviour of all who believe in him?

Please think about it. 

A to do list

 A to do list

The apostle Paul states,

“Let love for our brotherhood breed warmth of mutual affection.  

Give pride of place to one another in esteem.  

With unflagging energy, in ardour of spirit, serve the LORD. 

Let hope keep you joyful; 

in trouble stand firm; 

persist in prayer.  

Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and practice hospitality. 

Call down blessings on your persecutors–blessings, not curses.  

With the joyful be joyful, and mourn with the mourners.  

Care as much about each other as about yourselves.” 

                                                                                    Romans 12:10-16.

The above Scripture from the apostle Pauls letter to the Romans, tells us how to live as believers in Christ Jesus.

In the book of Galatians we read another set of attributes of a Christian,

"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.

When people see your life, do they see the attributes listed above in your life?

Please think about it.

Ponder this

 Ponder this

For the Christian it's all about faith in God. 

God does not force himself on us. He gave us a free will to do and believe as we wish.

Thus I put these portions of the New Testament for you to ponder. My question being do you agree with them or not 

The apostle Paul writes

                          "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 and are justified freely by his grace 

through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

 Romans 3:23,24.

The apostle Paul tells us we cannot work our way to heaven. Stating,

“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

Faith defined by the writer of Hebrews as,

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

 Hebrews 11:1

The same writer noting 

“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

Blaise Pascal noting,

“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

Thus the question becomes. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind?

Where will you place your wager?

Please think about it.

Loving Gods way

 Loving Gods way

The apostle Paul defines Christian love this way

“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.

This is how God loves, unconditionally. This is what we are called to do to those around us. Love them unconditionally.

So my question to you is do you love the way God loves?

Please think about it.

Show me, teach me

 Show me, teach me

In the book of Psalms we read,

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4,5.

If you believe this then you need to be praying and studying the Bible. You need to join with other believers asking God to show you his precepts. And you need to be asking God how you can live a life in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

God made flesh

 God made flesh

“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.

The above quotation from the book of John is a fundamental belief of Christians. At first glance is seems outrageous but it is true.

If it were not true why would early Christians include it in the very documents they were writing to prove their faith.

The fact that the early Christians claimed that Jesus was God incarnate, God in the flesh means, at least to me, they have committed a lie so outrageous that it has fooled millions. If not billions of people through out history and in modern times. 

C. S. Lewis wrote,

"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.

Please think about it.

The way to heaven

 Jesus is the way

Jesus said,

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

Here is what Christians believe about Jesus. He is the way to God Almighty. No one comes to the Father except through him.

This is a fundamental belief of all Christians. A belief Christians present to all people. We don’t force our faith on anyone. We simply say this is what we believe. Then leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves if they believe it or not.

Thus I leave the choice to you. Do you believe Jesus is the way to God or not?

Please think about it.

Hell will not prevail

 Hell will not prevail

The Psalmist writes,

"The fool says in his heart, 

"There is no God." 

                                     Psalm 14:1

C.S. Lewis said of Christianity,

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C. S. Lewis.

For me I believe there has to be something to Christianity. We are a people who preach peace, love and living in harmony with our fellow man. We present to those who will listen to us the way we believe you get to heaven. Then leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves if we are right or wrong. 

A true Christian will never force their faith on anyone.

That being said if Christianity is untrue. If God does not exist why are some governments putting  Christians in forced labour camps?

Why wont some allow people to convert to Christianity? 

Why are atheist trying to get Christian symbols out of schools and other public places?

It seems to me if there is nothing behind the Christian faith then the symbols and practices of Christianity are meaningless.

Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, (361-363 A.D.)  an ancient adversary of Christianity. Said in his work against Christianity:

“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.”

At the end of his life Julian was forced to say:

“Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”

Over the centuries many men and governments have come against Christianity yet none have prevailed. 

Christianity is stronger today than it has ever been and it is still growing even in countries that try to suppress it.

It continues to grow because it is of God, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Think about it.

We Trust

 We Trust

“Do not put your trust in princes, 

in mortal men, who cannot save. 

When their spirit departs, 

they return to the ground; 

on that very day their plans come to nothing.” 

                                                                 Psalm 146:3,4.

Over the years I’ve seen many preachers and evangelist go off the rails, fall away from Christ. Some of these men and women attracted thousands even tens of thousands of followers. 

   Sadly too many of those followers were following the preacher and not God. Not only that many of these preachers are not presenting the true gospel they are doing what the apostle Paul said would happen,

"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

Ultimately when the gospel message is changed or diluted with other things it leaves many with an emptiness that only the gospel of Christ can fill. Thus people leave the church. 

I’ve heard some estimates that tens of thousands of people are leaving the mega churches and prosperity doctrine churches in the United States.

As believers in Christ Jesus we need to put our faith firmly in God. Not a pastor or evangelist. 

Thus my question to you the reader; Is your faith firmly in God or in a pastor or evangelist?

Can you with the Psalmist say,

“Some trust in chariots 

and some in horses, 

but we trust 

in the name of the LORD our God." 

                                                                     Psalm 20:7.

Please think about it.

Get wisdom get understanding

 Get wisdom get understanding

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 

Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendour." Proverbs 4:5-9.

Sadly I think Christians forget what is said here. They don’t get wisdom or understanding. Instead they rely too much on others to whom they think are wise and understand things, better than them.

Being a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus is a continuing learning process. A journey in which we should grow day by day. This not only includes studying the scriptures but studying the thing in the world around us. Observing people reading as wide a range of books as we can.

Christian life is not lived in a bubble. It is lived in a world filled with things both for and against what we as believers in Christ believe. And the only way we know how to act toward them is by understanding why the world around us is they way it is.

Studying the scriptures in addition to studying the secular world around us, studying human behaviour, science, history, social behaviour or other things makes us wise. And shows us how we can best present the word of God.

If you consider yourself a Christian, when was the last time you studied the scriptures for yourself? When was the last time you looked at the world around you and studied what was happening?

Please think about it.

A Holy and Peaceful life

A holy and peaceful life

The apostle Paul wrote,

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, 

live at peace with everyone.” 

                                    Romans 12:18 

The writer of Hebrews states,

“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.

If you claim to be a Christian are you doing your best to live at peace with all people? Are you doing your best with Gods help to live a holy life?

Because if you are not you will not win a soul for Christ.

As Christians we should be known for our love and understanding. People should see our love for God and those around us be they family, friend, or foe.

So I ask the questions again;

Are you doing your best to live at peace with all people.

Are you with Gods help doing your best to live a holy life?

Please think about it.

Eyes fixed on Jesus

Eyes Fixed on Jesus

The writer of Hebrews said,

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" Hebrews 12:2.

Here is a simple admonition from the writer of the book of Hebrews to all who believe in Christ Jesus. 

We are to keep our eyes on Jesus.

That to me means following His teachings and example. That at times may mean we will have to endure abuse and hardships.

Ultimately however at the end of our life we will be able to say as the apostle Paul wrote,

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

Paul from the day of his conversion until the day he died, no matter what circumstance he was in good or bad, in prison or free, kept his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.

If you truly believe in Christ Jesus, can you say that also?

Please think about it.

Live by faith

 Live by Faith

In the gospel of Luke we read,

"A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.  

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.''" 

"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:18-22.

Here is what Jesus is saying here. Live by faith. Do not rely on your earthly wealth. Live by faith expecting God to supply you needs.

In the book of Philippians we read,

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19.

Do you believe this. Do you rely on God to supply your needs?

Do you think the pastors and evangelist you support believe this?

Please think about it.

In which group are you?

 In which group are you?

“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.

What Paul said here is what he and the apostles believed. Who was asked by the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. Not Christians to speak about his beliefs. Spoke of Jesus crucified and risen from the dead. Which caused some to ask to hear more. Some to sneer at what he said, and some to believe.

It is the same today. Some believe the gospel message. Some don’t believe and sneer at the thought of it. While others want to hear more on the topic.

Thus the question becomes, in which group are you? 

Please think about it

Is Jesus God Incarnate

 Is Jesus God Incarnate?

In John’s gospel chapter 14 we read,

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

Marks gospel records,

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ.'" Mark 8:27-29. 

Speaking to Martha Jesus asked,

John's gospel records, 

"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.

Again the apostle John in chapter 10:30-33, records,

"I and the Father are one." 

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 

"I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 

"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33.

It was a serious offence at the time of Christ in Jewish society to make yourself equal to God. C. S. Lewis tell us.

"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

So who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.

Creation

 Creation 

"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 over the years have listened with interest to discussions among Christians about creation. Some believing in the six twenty-four hour day theory. The so called “young earth theory”.

While some believe the creation is billions of years old, the so called "old earth theory".

For me this is an unimportant question. I believe, Genesis when it states,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

                                                                                        Genesis 1:1.

I believe the apostle John when he 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 (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1-3

I firmly believe God created the universe specifically for us to live in.

Even Stephen Hawking said,

“It would be difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of God who intended to create beings like us" Stephen hawking.

William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics stated,

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

Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics

"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan." Dr Arno Penzias. 

So what do you believe?

Please think about it.

On wrong teaching

 On wrong teaching

The apostle Paul wrote,

"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.

What the apostle Paul is saying here is happening now. Throughout the history of the church men and women calling themselves Christians, have strayed from sound doctrine. And never has it been more prevalent than it is in our multimedia times. 

It’s easy for people who love the Lord to get sucked into wrong teaching if they are not careful.

Someone sent me a picture of a wolf standing among a flock of sheep. The caption read,

“Satan is not fighting churches; he is joining them. He does more harm by sowing tares than by pulling up wheat. He accomplishes more by imitation than by outright opposition.”

That's why we need to pray and study the word of God to ensure we know what is right and what is wrong teaching.

So my question to you is; are you studying the Bible for yourself? 

Have you even read the doctrinal statement of the church you attend or the doctrinal statement of the organization, evangelist and preachers you support?

Why not take sometime to do so. Ask your church for a copy of their doctrinal statement. Do the same for any organization, evangelist or pastor you support or listen to. Honest organizations will give you one willingly. 

If after you’ve prayerfully read their statement you disagree with what they are teaching or find flaws in their teaching. Ask them to explain anything you don’t agree with. If you still disagree leave.

The Apostle Paul told us,

“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.

Unfortunately we especially here in North America cannot always expel those who teach doctrine that is wrong for a myriad of reasons. But we can leave any organization calling it self Christian, we believe is teaching wrong doctrine. 

Please think about it.

In Gods image

In Gods image

The Book of Genesis states,

“So God created man in His own image; 

in the image of God He created him; 

male and female He created them.” 

                                              Genesis 1:27.

That being said many people today claiming to be Christians consciously or subconsciously make God in their image.

They do this I believe because they are not truly committed to God. They do it because they think God should conform to their will. As one person has put it they see God as a cosmic bell boy. Who is their do their bidding when nothing could be further from the truth.

The apostle Paul writes,

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."Ephesians 2:10.

Are you doing Gods work?

Do you truly believe you are created in the image of God?

Please think about it.