Planning for the future

 Planning for the future

“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.” James 4:13,14.

We humans are indeed are fragile creatures. We live a handful of years before passing into eternity. James here is reminding us of that. 

Now there is nothing wrong with making plans for the future. Especially if that future includes where we will spend eternity.

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

So my question would be. In planning for your future, have you planned where you will spend eternity?

Please think about it.

God, you, and the Pail blue dot

 God, you, and the Pail blue dot

In the book of Job we read,

"He spreads out the northern skies 

over empty space;

 He suspends the earth over nothing."

                                                        Job 26:7

For someone who had never seen a picture taken from space. Job got the description right.

Take a look at the image. Earth is incredibly small in comparison to the universe. If we didn’t know we lived there we could dismiss it as nothing.

Yet God didn’t consider us nothing. God chose to enter this pail blue dot on which we live. This pail blue dot He created. He did so in the form of Christ Jesus. He did so to point mankind to heaven.

The apostle John writes,

"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.

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.” John 3:16,17.

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. Romans 10:9,10.

Do you believe in God?

Do you believe that Jesus is Lord?

Please think about it. 

He who does the will of my Father

 He does the will of my Father in heaven

Jesus said,

"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 7:21-23.

There are many people in the world today who call themselves Christians but are not. From what they do and say it may seem that they are Christians. The reality however is they are not.

Jesus said these people will say to Him on that day,

"...‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 

Thus we who truly believe in God and the Salvation that comes through Christ Jesus need to be aware of these false prophets and teachers.

We need to read the scriptures for ourselves so we know what is right and wrong. Additionally we need to look at the preachers, teachers and evangelist we follow to see if they are truly following God.

The apostle Paul tells us that while we are not to judge those outside the church we have the right to judge those inside. Paul writes,

"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.

Are you doing this? Is the church congregation you attend standing up to false teacher, preachers, and evangelist?

Please think about it.

Better

Better
The Solomon the writer of Ecclesiastes writes,
“Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2.
Here Solomon points out that entering a house of mourning a house grieving the loss of a loved one is better that entering a house that is celebrating.
The way I see it Solomon is right.
Not so long ago my wife’s younger brother died suddenly he was only in his early forties. Young by any standards. One of the common, for lack of a better expression phrases I noted from those who attended the funeral was “he was so young. It just goes to show you, you never know when death will happen.”
Solomon notes,
“The thoughts of the wise are in the house of mourning, but the thoughts of fools are in the house of pleasure. Ecclesiastes 7:4.
The way I see it is the death of someone should cause us to think about out mortality. Everyone knows that we will one day die. Yet it seems in our society especially here in the western nations we don’t plan for death. We live in “the house of pleasure”.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“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.
Thus my question to you the reader. Upon your death will you be happy?
I as a believer in Christ Jesus believe you can know whether or not you will be happy upon your death. 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.
Please think about it.

Can get to Heaven

Can get to heaven

“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.  
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)  
This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.” Romans 2:12-16.
When I was much younger the question arose from one of my friends. Can a person who has never heard the gospel message get to heaven.
My answer is an unequivocal yes. The apostle Paul make that clear in the above scripture. Paul states,
“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law....”
He goes on to say,
“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.”  
God is a just God. He will only judge us by what we know. If a person has not received the gospel message or read or heard the teachings of the Bible, God will not hold that person accountable for what is written in them. However God will hold them accountable for what they know with regards to good and evil.
He will look at the persons heart and mind and Judge the individual accordingly.
Question: what do you think God will say about you when He judges you?
Please think about it.

Faith in God

Faith  in God

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

Hebrews 11:1

Blaise Pascal said,
“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.
Do you believe in God? I have heard many ardent atheist state there is no God and speak loudly against God. Many sadly ridicule those who believe in God.
If you do not believe in God that’s your right. However I would ask are you certain, truly certain there is no God?
Like Pascal said, “faith cannot be proved” but having faith in God even if He does not exist cannot hurt. After all to state the obvious something that does not exist cannot hurt you.
Following God who has set before every person a set of morals that make life better both for the individual and society as a whole is a good thing even if he doesn’t exist.
On the other hand if God does exist and I as a Christian truly believe this. Then those who do not believe in Him have a problem. Why would God let someone into heaven who does not believe in Him.
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.
We in this life are given a choice. We can act in faith and believe in God or we can reject God completely there is no middle ground.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God,

 because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

Hebrews 11:6

What I would ask you the reader be you an Atheist, a Christian or someone of another faith, is read at least the New Testament and see what believers in Jesus said and taught about Him.
Please think about it.